Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
by missrebecca
Summary: Rewritten - 29/12/12. Voldemorts dead, has been since the first time he tried to kill Potter. What's become of everyone now? Completeley OOC, entirely AU. Draco/Hermione. Rated M.
1. Platform Nine and Three Quarters

_Rewritten: 29/12/2012 - I adore this story, and couldn't leave it in the state it's in. My writing has improved exponentially since I started writing this story so long ago. _

**Disclaimer: This story is incredibly AU, and my characters are OOC. I realise that while the events of this story, had there not been a Voldemort around, wouldn't have happened like this. But this is my story, and I wanted to write a Draco/Hermione where Harry and Ron were the bad guys. This is all from my own imagination, so if you dislike AU, to this extent, just don't read it **

**Though I do hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it :D**

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The year started just the same as all the rest, except that this was to be their last. Then they would be free. Free to be whatever the hell they wanted to be; do what they wanted, say what they wanted, and it didn't matter whether anyone liked it or not because they were adults.

The smoke filled platform was bursting with such students, saying goodbye to parents and hello to friends, smiling and laughing, all dying to go back to their school. An unusual thought by any means, but the school they were travelling to was no ordinary school, just like the platform was no ordinary platform. Platform 9¾ only revealed itself to those of a certain breed; witches and wizards, for you see, magic is as real as anything in the world, though it remains hidden, secreted away from the muggles (that would be none magical folk). So, when these special people lean against the quite solid brick between platforms nine and ten, they pass through it as though it were nothing but air, onto this mysterious platform to face a magnificent, gleaming burgundy stem engine, the Hogwarts Express.

Hermione Granger was one such person, born to none magical parents and she was the first witch in her family. She had incredibly curly brown hair, lightened over the summer to a golden colour, and bright hazel eyes. She was to turn eighteen in just one week, and while she was none too pleased to have to spend it away from her parents, she was rather excited to see her magical friends once more. Levitating her luggage down the carriage behind her, she found an empty compartment and stowed her trunk above the plush leather seat.

She smoothed down her dress skirt before seating herself on the bench and studying her nails. She had painted them a vivid red, to match the new shoes she was flaunting. Her golden brown hair was perfectly curled and coiffed, without looking stiff, and her silky milk white legs were extenuated by a beautiful pair of red peep toe pumps. The dress she had made herself, using white patterned cotton, tucked in at the waist by a bright red bow. She looked hot, if she said so herself.

In the next compartment a blond haired boy was sat playing poker with a dark skinned, dark haired young man and their wiry companion with messy brown hair. All three were good looking, and all three knew it. The blond haired boy, Draco Malfoy, was the ring leader. He sat sprawled on the seat, cigarette hanging loosely on his bottom lip, platinum hair in an 'I-just-got-a-good-shagging' sort of way, wearing blue jeans a white tee shirt, which showed his impressive biceps due to years of playing the wizard ball game called Quidditch.

He was hoping and praying (though Malfoys typically don't hope or pray for anything) for the summer, for the end of school, to be able to leave his parent's home for good. How sick he was of his father harping on about the wizarding world going to the dogs, how they might as well just out themselves to the muggles seen as 'that old crack pot' Dumbledore lets so many into his school. Draco didn't give a damn, and tended not to listen much. Between his father's rants and his mother's meddling he was surprised he hadn't gone mad.

Both students, Hermione and Draco, turned to look out of their compartment doors as they heard a commotion in the corridor. Being of curious persuasion they took a peek outside, both sliding open the doors at the same time and being met with the image of Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley bustling their way onto the train, surrounded by the usual horde of pathetic lonely girls. Both students rolled their eyes before returning to their compartments.

Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley were the 'it' duo of Hogwarts. Harry was that year's head boy and his house teams Quidditch captain. Ronald Weasley was simply along for the ride, but his cockiness and sure footedness made him a hit with the girls. Both boys were tall, and handsome in their own way. They were generally kind to those around them, except when it came to those they didn't like. Both were rather arrogant, and rather sure of their position at the school; they had the rule of the roost.

However, Harry didn't begin his life that way. When he had arrived at Hogwarts he had been just as frightened as the rest of them, but infamy tended to go to one's head. There wasn't a person in the wizarding world who didn't know the name Harry Potter. For when he was but a baby, a terribly dark and powerful wizard, going by the name of Voldemort, attempted to kill him. The curse, however, rebounded off the baby, due to old magic cast by his dying mother. Leaving Voldemort decimated.

None of the students remembered Voldemort as they were all too young to know much about him but they had all grown up hearing tales of Harry Potter, the boy who lived, all the while he lived a rather diminished existence with his horrible Aunt and Uncle. If the papers were to be believed he had been made to live in a cupboard! Hermione thought it was wildly fantastical.

However, Ron had no such fantastical back story. He came from a fairly poor family of seemingly low standing in the community, he had six siblings (all brothers aside from one sister) and lived in a patched up towering house called the Burrow. He was renowned as Harry Potters best friend, though it didn't hurt that he was fairly handsome himself. He had a smattering of bright ginger hair, a face sprinkled with freckles and the brightest blue eyes ever seen. The girls thought he looked mischievous and cheeky.

Neither Draco nor Hermione could stand them. They found them cocky and full of their own self-importance. There was a cruelness to them, which only came out around those they thought lower than them. Though they rarely tried anything against the two students, both Hermione and Draco knew how much they would love to get one up on the best witch and wizard in the school.

Hermione was fidgetting over a chip she had noticed in her nail varnish when a bouncy girl with flowing red hair bounded into the compartment, swiftly followed by a stocky boy and a waif like girl.

"Ginny, Neville, Luna," she greeted them. They were some of her only friends in this school, but they were the best.

Ginny Weasley was unfortunately related to Ron, but where Ron was boastful Ginny was not. She was a wild child, a non-conformist and a total anarchist. She enjoyed blowing up the school toilets and going on animal rights protests. She smoked, she drank and she got many, many tattoos. Her parents despaired for her.

Neville Longbottom, on the other hand, was a calm young man, from a respectable family. His mother, Alice, and father, Frank, were both excellent Aurors and they had raised their son to be just and honest. Two very valuable traits to Hermione. He was stocky, built like a 'brick-shit-house' some might say. He had wonderful soft brown hair that fell to just below his ears in soft curls. Honestly, he was just adorable.

Luna, the last girl to enter and the last to sit down, was seen as somewhat of a weirdo. She was stick thin with the palest skin Hermione had ever seen, she had thin white blonde hair that fell to her waist and she wore the most ridiculous things. A bright green top with a bright orange skirt, over blue tights and thick brown boots. But for however weird she was there was no denying she was beautiful.

The four students sat in their compartment the whole ride to Hogwarts, talking of their summers and their hopes for the year. Discussing other students and teachers, and complaining about their hunger.

Finally the time came to change into their uniforms. Ginny, Hermione and Luna shooed Neville out of the compartment into the boys changing area so they could change in peace, they preferred not to use to designated changing area due to the general bitchiness of other female students towards them. They realised that a lot of the animosity directed their way was not helped by the way they acted, but after so many years they simply gave up trying to get people to like them.

The uniform generally consisted of a white blouse, striped tie (colour co-ordinated to each house), grey skirt, black tights and black shoes. These were usually covered with either a jumper or cardigan and a black cloak. However, the three girls enjoyed toying with the staple uniform.

Hermione had chosen this year to wear an elbow length fitted blouse with the usual red and gold striped tie, her skirt was a knee length pencil skirt in charcoal grey, underneath which she wore mock seam stockings held up by a black lace garter belt. On her feet was yet another pair of three inch peep toe heels, this time in patent black leather.

"Damn 'Mione. You're going to knock them dead," Ginny exclaimed, before doing a twirl to show off her own uniform. She too wore a fitted white shirt and a red and gold striped tie. Her skirt was pleated and grey; however, it rested only about an inch or two below the level of her arse. She then wore thick black tights and black mary-janes, complete with scuff marks on the toes.

"How on earth am I to stand out next to you two?" Luna asked dreamily. She wore the standard uniform, though her tie was blue and bronze. However her long flowing hair was pinned back from her face with two electric blue hair clips, complete with little moving butterflies. Her assemble was completed by radish earrings that she claimed enhanced her ability to accept the extraordinary, which made sense once you got to know her.

"Luna, everyone always notices you. You look divine," Hermione gushed, reassuring her friend.

The train finally came to a stop at Hogsmeade village, where carriages were waiting to take the students to the school. According to some of the older children, who had since left the school, the carriages were pulled by skeleton like horses that could fly, but none of the current students had ever seen them besides Luna, though no one believed her of course.

As she left the compartment, after making sure her trunk was successfully transported to the school, she bumped into Draco. They both looked the other up and down, a hungry look coming to their eyes. She thought he looked incredibly handsome in his shirt, his green and silver tie slung around his neck haphazardly. Hermione noticed his trousers hung particularly low on his hips and when he shifted slightly she could just make out a faint trail of blonde hair heading towards them. She unconsciously licked her lips.

"My, my, Hermione. May I say you are looking _delicious_ this year," he said, leaning into her slightly.

Hermione felt her body flush at his tone, but didn't allow her cool exterior to drop while she placed a hand on his bicep and squeezed it slightly. "You too, Draco. Maybe I'll see you after the feast?" she asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.

"Oh you definitely will. Same place as last year?" He eyes danced to Ginny and Luna who both nodded in agreement. However, before Hermione could open her mouth to reply they were interrupted by the banes of their existence.

"Look who it is Ron, the Death Eater and the Mudblood, who'd have thought. I must say, Granger I'm not sure that uniforms exactly right for you," Harry sneered. "It seems to be covering much too much skin for a whore like you."

He stepped back quickly as Draco threw his way past Hermione, shoving his face into Harry's and making him falter back slightly. Draco watched with amusement as he gulped.

"You wanna watch what you're saying Potter," he spat. "Otherwise someone might just mess up that pretty little face of yours."

"Is that a threat?" Ron growled.

"Think of it as a promise," he said, before turning and placing a hand on the small of Hermione's back. "Come on, girls, you can share our carriage."

The six students made their way off of the train, ignoring the shouts from Ron and Harry behind them. Once on the platform they met Neville and Pansy Parkison. Pansy was a funny sort of girl, she was the kind of person that everyone liked straight away, and she seemed not able to see the bad in anyone. For reasons unknown to Hermione, Pansy enjoyed the company of Harry and Ron, though she did once admit that Draco and Hermione's crowd were much more fun to be around.

"Hey, guys!" she called, bouncing on the spot. "Hermione, what's the matter?" she asked, seeing her friends stormy face.

"Potter," Draco spat, answering for the barely restrained Hermione. She knew if she spoke now there would be some serious damage done to those two twits.

In silence they climbed into the carriage, before heading off for the castle that was to be their home for the next ten months.

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_Let me know what you think :)_


	2. First Day Back: Part 1

_Rewritten - 29/12/12._

_I love this story, and with how my writing has changed I knew I just had to rewrite it. Hope you like it._

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The eight students, who had shared a carriage to the castle, were sitting in a hidden room. The lounged on bean bags and big cushions, arrange in a loose circle in the middle of the now hazy room. They passed between them a roll of paper, packed to bursting with only the finest hash that Theo could find. Getting high had, for the past two years, been their chosen way to relax at the end of the day.

After arriving at the castle they had been taken into the Great Hall, a cavernous room of old stone and timber, with an enchanted ceiling which reflected to evening sky. It was filled with five long tables, four running along the length of the room, one for each of the four houses, and a fifth standing width-ways, which sat the Professors of Hogwarts.

After all the current students had found their seats, the new first years were brought in to be sorted into one of the houses. An old wizard's hat had been placed on their heads, and after not much time at all the hat would shout out the name of the house that child would spend the rest of their school career in.

If they were found to be brave and loyal they were sorted into Gryffindor house, like Hermione and Ginny. Each time a new first year was sorted into their house all the Gryffindor's cheered. The only bad thing about the house, in Hermione's opinion, was that it was also the place of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, but she tried to ignore that.

If the hat found a student to be ambitious and cunning they would be placed with Draco, Blaise and Theo in Slytherin. There was still a lingering reputation against Slytherin house, as nearly every dark wizard had come out of that house. It seemed people forgot about the many brilliant witches and wizards who were also proud to be called Slytherin. But old prejudices tend to die hard.

To be sorted into Ravenclaw house with Luna and Neville the students would be found to be witty and intelligence. Then lastly, if you were found to be patient and friendly, you would be placed into Hufflepuff, whose house did not require any specific trait.

The hat then broke into a speech about the coming year, every year it was about the same thing; inter-house unity and forging new friendships. Only the words changed, though Draco never really listened.

After the sorting hat had been finally put away, Professor Dumbledore, their elderly and often crackpot Head Master stood to give his usual start of term notices, then, with a snap of his fingers and a twinkle in his eye the tables were suddenly laden with an unimaginable amount of food. There was chicken, pork, beef and sausages, and mashed potato, roasted potato, boiled potato. There was an assortment of vegetables including cabbage, carrots, sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, suede, turnip, parsnips and beetroots. There were also bowls of salad and bread, and gallons of gravy. Then, when the students thought they couldn't eat anything more, desert was served.

Draco knew he never ate quite as well as when he was at Hogwarts, and he imagined that it was the same for many students in the hall. Half an hour after the feast had ended, and all the younger students had been led to bed, the eight students found their way into their secret hide-out.

The room had been found by Ginny and Neville, after Ginny's older brother's had bequeathed to her the Marauder's Map, in her fifth year. Ever since it had been the group of friends hide-out, however, it had only taken a year for other students to become aware of the supposedly secret room.

"Jesus, I've missed this," Blaise sighed, resting his head in Ginny's lap. The two had been somewhat on-again-off-again, since Ginny's fifth year. Hermione rolled her eyes at the sappy eyes the two were giving each other; apparently it was now and on period.

"I know what you mean. Though my parents would kill me if they knew I did this," Neville said before taking a long drag and passing the joint on to Luna.

"Don't be silly. I'm sure they did it too. Weren't they here in the seventies?" she asked.

"Aye they will've been, 'cause our mam knew 'em. Seventies was the time, man. Time of weed and 'free love'," Theo said, showing his deadbeat side quite decidedly.

"Hermione, do you want some?" Pansy asked, trying to pass on the roll to the next person in the circle, but Hermione wasn't listening. She was staring intently at Draco, who was staring just as intently back.

Since fourth year there'd been a strange new static between them, at first it had been uncomfortable and neither had really known what to do with it. Hormones ran rampant the following year, as Draco broadened out and Hermione suddenly developed curves. Yet neither acted on the obvious attraction between them, they were simply very good friends. They were often seen on each other's arm, but everyone knew they were nothing more than friends. Yet sitting in the smoke filled room, both noticed the tension had suddenly, changed.

"Mione!" Pansy's voice finally broke through the haze, and Hermione snapped her head in her direction, almost glaring at her friend.

"What?" she asked.

"I just wanted to know if you wanted any?"

"Oh, sure," she said, shaking her head and apologising for shouting.

She slipped the joint between her fingers before wrapping her lips delicately around the end. Draco couldn't take his eyes off her. He loved watching Hermione smoke weed, he always had. It was the hollow in her cheeks, and slight pouting of her lips as she breathed out, the rise and fall of her breasts; he was mesmerized.

As she passed the joint on to him, she was careful to allow him just a slight glimpse of the top of her breasts; he let his gaze slip down the rest of her body. She was sat on a purple cushion with her legs pulled up under her; of course to get there she'd had to lift her tight skirt some. This allowed for a wonderful view of the tops of her stockings and just a slight peek at her garter straps. He gulped as he noticed her looking, before shooting a sexy smirk her way and winking as he took a drag.

He passed the joint on to Blaise just as the door to their hidden room banged open. 'How the bloody hell did they find us' thought Hermione. Standing in the doorway was a very smug looking Harry Potter, followed closely behind by his personal lapdogs Ron Weasley and Seamus Finnegan.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" he asked, smirking at the students lounging in the room.

"It looks like the whores and their pathetic tag-alongs," Seamus said, leering at Hermione showing off her legs. She sent a glare his way before standing up, kicking her heels off and starting over to the boys in the doorway, a determined look in her eye.

"Hey, calm down, darlin'," Theo said, facing her and placing restraining hands on her arms, before dropping them when he felt the heat of the glare he was getting off Draco. Without Theo's hands holding her back Hermione continued on her way to the door, before stopping right in front of Harry.

"So you think I'm a whore, Potter?" she whispered into his ear, making sure to breathe heavily into it. She smirked as she felt him shiver, "Why don't I show you how much a _whore _I can be?"

Then without any warning, she brought her knee up into his groin. The noise he made could be described as something between a fox's yowl and the screech of a little girl. Hermione smirked at the boy lying crumpled at her feet.

"Now I do believe you should be going, don't you?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips as she spoke to the two standing boys. They curled their lips at her before helping a wincing Harry stand, mutterings of 'bitch' and 'cunt' could be heard from them as they left and shut the door behind them.

"How the hell did they find us?" asked Ginny, lightly running her hands through Blaise's silky hair.

"I don't know," Hermione mumbled, her heart was pounding, fury surging through her. Those boys just made her so angry. "Who requested the room?"

Sheepishly Pansy raised her hand. "I completely forgot about it being just for us, sorry."

The others reassured her that it wasn't a big deal, but she would have to be more specific in the future. The room was a perfect sanctuary, but you had to be pretty specific when conjuring it, otherwise it would let anyone in.

Hermione slumped back down into her cushion, narrowly avoiding landing on Draco who had managed to sprawl himself over both his and her cushion. Gently he fiddled with one of her rather loose curls, tugging on it and watching as it sprang back into place.

"Hey," she whispered, swatting his hand away with a playful grin on her face.

"Sorry, it's just so bouncy I couldn't resist. I think I prefer it all big and curly though," he whispered back.

"Well I'll keep that in mind," she said, smiling slightly at him before turning back in to the group conversation

"I never understood why people hated you all so much. Well, not you Neville…or Luna really, but the rest of you…" Pansy trailed off, looking around at Hermione, Draco, Blaise, Ginny, and Theo.

"It's 'cause we're hotter than they could ever hope to be," Theo joked, lounging himself across three large pillows.

"Anyway, we should call it a night, classes start tomorrow." Hermione sighed, excited to be starting her lessons back up, not so happy to be up early in the morning and having to leave Draco now.

The students said goodbye to each other before heading off in separate directions to their common rooms and dorms.

As Hermione was walking up the many stairs to the Gryffindor tower she peeked over her shoulder at the retreating form of Draco, walking down the stairs to the Slytherin dungeons. Damn he looked good. She decided that this was the year she was going to get him all for herself, enough flirting and dancing around the subject. It was time to act.

As Hermione turned her head back to the direction she was walking, Draco turned to watch as she walked up the stairs and around the corner. He loved watching her walk, her arse and hips swayed so much it was almost hypnotic. He'd decided before he came here that if she was still single, he was going to make her his, and he was definitely sticking with his plan.

~H~

The first day started with noise for Hermione; lots and lots of noise. The girls she shared her dorm with were up and getting ready for the day at a ridiculous hour, she didn't understand how it could take them so long to get themselves ready when it only took her half an hour, and she looked perpetually better than them.

She sat up in bed and watched, through the curtains surrounding her bed, as Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil rushed around like headless chickens trying to decide the best way to get Harry to notice them. Showing ungodly amounts of cleavage was _not _sexy. It made her sick.

She stood ignoring the looks she was getting from them and walked into the adjoining bathroom. She showered quickly using her new shampoo and conditioner, before dressing in front of the mirror. She wore a matching skin colour lace bra and panties, along with a matching garter belt and stockings.

She smirked at herself in the mirror as she used her wand to dry her hair, allowing it to fall in its natural curls, just like Draco liked. She remembered when it used to be twice the size, how Harry and Ron had teased her for having such large hair and large teeth. Well her hair was smooth and sleek now, falling in loose ringlets to her bra strap and her teeth had been magicked down to size, so they had nothing to say now. At least about that.

She decided to show Lavender and Parvati how 'sexy' was done and so forgoing putting her uniform on over her underwear she strutted into the dorm. All noise stopped as she stepped in, she ignored the stares as she started getting dressed, before finally placing her patent heels on her feet.

"Hermione, can you be any more of a slut? Really?" Lavender tittered, giggling softly with Parvati.

"Probably, but you seem to manage well enough for the both of us," she said with a smirk, oh she'd definitely been hanging around Draco too much. She threw her grey cardigan on, grabbed her cloak and her book bag then left the room, leaving a fuming Lavender in her wake.

She met Ginny on the stairs, the girls didn't exchange any words; the looks on their faces were enough for them to know that their mornings had gone similarly.

They walked silently through the halls towards the great hall for breakfast. Ignoring the looks and whispers that followed them. It was something they were used to, being called every derogatory name under the sun, but it was not something they enjoyed. It had been the same since Hermione's fourth year, when she decided she didn't give a shit what people said about her, before that she had been the bookworm, always in the library with no real friends to speak of. But then she'd met Ginny, and seeing her make her own rules and do whatever the hell she liked, broke Hermione out of her self-imposed shell. She had her teeth fixed, and found a conditioner that smoothed her wild curls, she still spent a lot of time with her nose in a book, but she wasn't as known for it anymore.

They reached the doors to the great hall where Ginny turned to Hermione, admiring her poise and that fact she could walk all day in those shoes.

"You ready for this?" she asked

"As I'll ever be," Hermione muttered back. Taking a deep breath they pushed through the doors to begin their first day of lessons.

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_Let me know what you think_


	3. First Day Back: Part 2

_Rewritten - 29/12/12. I really hope you like this, I'm not really changing a whole lot of the plot, just straightening bits out, sorting out the grammar and what not :)_

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By the end of the first official day of lessons, Draco was fucked. He could barely hear anymore, neither could he really feel his feet. He'd had a full day, nine to bloody five. His day began with double potions with the Gryffindors. Good news; he sat next to Hermione and imagined licking the slice of thigh that peeked out of her robe. Bad news; Potter and Weasley were also in the class, how Weasley had managed to get to N.E.W.T level potions he had no idea. Luckily his godfather, Severus Snape, was the professor taking the class, so he tended to go easy on him, and by association Hermione.

Next he'd had Defence Against the Dark Arts, it was his most interesting class as it was mostly wand work. Again he sat next to Hermione and this time was even brave enough to place his hand on that slice of thigh that was exposed. She had shifted slightly, but hadn't moved his hand away; instead she'd moved her robe higher, almost inviting him to move his hand higher. However, he just sent her a wink and a smirk before placing his hand back on the desk; she hadn't spoken to him for the rest of the day.

Then he had lunch. He'd sat with Blaise and Theo discussing their lessons so far, while also surreptitiously checking out Hermione. She'd removed her robe at lunch, and her cardigan, exposing the curves exaggerated by her blouse. When he'd felt his trousers become a little tight in a certain area, he'd decided he better stop before someone noticed.

The rest of the day was filled by Charms with the Hufflepuffs, Ancient Runes (though Hermione had chosen not to sit next to him this time) and Herbology, which he had with the Ravenclaws.

It had been a fairly noisy day anyway, what with students crowding the hallways and first years trying to find their way around. But to top it all off Peeves the poltergeist had decided to set off what he called 'noise bombs'. Like stink bombs, but instead of releasing a putrid smell they released the highest pitched noise possible, still in the range of human hearing. Draco had passed three of the things on his way back to the dungeons before dinner. His ears were ringing by the time he got there.

He changed quickly into black jeans, a dark blue polo shirt and black ankle boots before setting off for the great hall for the last meal of the day. Generally, students were required to wear their uniforms at all mealtimes, however, the teachers tended to go a little easier on seventh years.

Draco arrived at the great hall and made his way over to the Slytherin table, he sat between Blaise and Theo affording him a wonderful view of Hermione. She'd left her hair in those glorious curls today, waving all around her face. He couldn't stop staring, not even when she looked up and met his gaze; he simply smirked and sent a wink her way before lowering his head to his meal.

He couldn't keep focused on his food for long however, before he would look up and watch as she ate her salad with her fingers. She never ate raw food with a knife and fork; she said there was no point. Draco loved it. Watching her fingers graze her lips, slipping a tiny tomato between them. He'd never known a fucking salad could be so erotic.

"Dude. When're you going to get with that?" He heard Blaise ask from his left

"What?" he asked, ripping his eyes away from Hermione.

"Granger," Theo broke in, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"What about her?" Draco mumbled, stabbing his sausage as though it had done him some terrible wrong

"Pssh. Say what you like. You want her." Blaise rolled his eyes the group had had a bet going for about six months in fifth year, to see how long it would take for the two to get together. It was dropped, however, when it became apparent that nothing was going to happen.

"Who wouldn't mate?" Theo agreed, nudging Draco, trying to provoke a response from their stoic friend.

"So yeah, I want her. I hear she's a good shag," he replied nonchalantly. Feeling something that could have been guilt settle into his chest.

"Yeah, okay. You just keep telling yourself that that's all you want her for."

The conversation was then dropped as the three boys got up to go to the secret room. It would be the last time they'd go for a week now. Hermione had decided, being the most responsible one, that getting high every night might be slightly detrimental to their N.E.W.T's, so they'd agreed to meet once a week instead.

They walked parallel to an empty stretch of wall three times thinking of the room they wanted to materialise. On the third turn a large oak door appeared in the seemingly sold stretch of wall. They were the last to arrive. The others were sitting in a circle, though this time they were passing around a clear glass bottle.

"What're we drinking?" Blaise asked as he sat pulling Ginny into his lap as he did.

"Hermione's vodka," Luna replied.

From Draco's viewpoint, sharing a large purple beanbag with Hermione, everyone was already half cut. He wondered how long they'd been there when dinner had only finished about twenty minutes before.

He ignored the conversation as he looked at Hermione. She was laughing at something Theo had said, not that he knew what it was. She looked so beautiful when she laughed. Her eyes got a glint in them, as her lips spread across her teeth. He noticed she'd changed out of her uniform. He let his gaze travel along her body, she was wearing a sort of cream (nude he thought it was called) silk dress. It was incredibly soft against his fingers as they ran lightly against her thigh. Draco thought she looked incredibly classy, for a woman who was so obviously tipsy.

Hermione could feel Draco's gaze but chose to ignore it. She'd had a day and a half so far. Fortunately, she'd been able to avoid Peeves, but she was still annoyed at Draco for what he did in Defence. Getting her so incredibly turned on just to smirk and leave her. Yes, she knew they were in a lesson and no, she didn't give a flying fuck. At the time anyway. She felt his finger running up the outside of her thigh, hitching her dress up a little so her stocking tops were exposed. She hoped he got a good eye full.

"How was your day, Hermione?" he asked, obviously goading her into saying something about what had happened

"Fine, thank you. How was yours?" she replied, not looking in his direction and just barely managing to contain her smile

"Lonely," he sighed into her ear, moving his arm to rest behind her back as his other played with the hair near her collarbone.

"We should play a game!" Ginny's shout interrupted them, just as Hermione's heart started to pound and Draco breath became short.

"Oh I know just the thing," Hermione said, "We'll need five shot glasses each." She'd barely finished speaking before the room supplied five glasses in front of each person.

"What's the game?" Pansy asked, shifting so she sat up straighter in her armchair, watching her glasses perched on the table next to her

"The game is called 'I never'," Hermione replied, moving around the circle to fill up everyone's glasses. "We each have five shots, and we all have to say something we've never done. Then, if someone in the circle _has_ done it, they take a shot." She smiled as she sat back on her shared bean bag. "The first person to finish all their shots loses"

"Sounds good," Blaise said, Theo nodded along.

"I'm going first," slurred Pansy, a little louder than she intended. "Okay so…I've never kissed a girl." She smirked as Draco, Blaise, Theo and Neville all drank their first shot, complaining that it wasn't fair. However, everyone was shocked as Hermione and Ginny shared a wide eyed look before also taking a shot.

"What the hell?!" Draco and Blaise exclaimed, looking between the girls.

"We were drunk okay, and it seemed like a good idea," Ginny answered everyone's questioning glances

"To be fair it was probably the best kiss I've ever had." Hermione laughed, watching as Draco became more and more astounded.

"Neville's turn," Pansy said, hoping to discharge the tension

"Oh right, erm, I've never gone skinny dipping," he said nervously, then gaped along with Luna and Pansy as the rest took another shot.

"We went in the Lake last year. Was bloody freezing," Theo shivered remembering it, he thought his balls would never re-descend.

"Anyway," Ginny said, trying to forget the image of Theo screaming about his balls, "I have a good one." she wobbled slightly as she sat up on her knees, sending a wink and a wicked grin Hermione's way, "I've never had a threesome."

"Fuck you, Gin," Hermione growled before taking a shot along with Draco, "You had a threesome?" she asked him, though frankly she wasn't entirely surprised. His sex life wasn't exactly private.

"Course I did, sugar. Who'd you have yours with? Was it the good kind?" he asked, practically salivating at the mouth

"Just some people from back home. And to you I suppose it was the good kind." She shrugged as though it was no big deal, though to the men in the room who were fantasising all sorts of sordid affairs between Hermione and another girl, it was an _incredibly _big deal.

"Your turn, Theo." Ginny shoved him, knocking him off the bean bag, trying to catch his attention. And so the game continued, until Pansy and Neville had three shots left, Luna, Blaise, Ginny and Theo each had two shots left, and Hermione and Draco only had one each. And it was Theo's turn.

"Right…so…shit," by this time he was quite drunk, as he had been supping out of the bottle on occasion also. "Yeah. I've never…given a girl flowers." Only Neville had a shot for that one.

"Aww Neville, that's so fucking sweet," Pansy slurred, after her two shots, she was any ones.

"Yeah, real sweet. My turn, I've never…messed around at the back of a classroom," Ginny said, grinning as she knew that Hermione had, though she wouldn't say who with. No one was shocked to also see Draco and Blaise take a shot, except Ginny.

"Blaise," Ginny growled

"Yes, sweetheart," he cringed, waiting for the wrath that was sure to come

"Who've you been fooling around with?" she asked sternly, fiercely trying to look annoyed while being quite drunk.

Draco tuned out the squabbling couple and turned to Hermone. "Aren't you the naughty little school girl. Who's been putting their filthy hands up your skirt?" he murmured seductively into her ear as his hand slid from its spot on her knee to finger the lacy tops of her stockings.

Hermione managed to keep my voice under control, though she felt anything but."That's really none of your business now is it," she said, acting completely unaffected by his rhythmic circling of his thumb over her thigh and stocking.

"Who was it who had their hands down your trousers anyway, Malfoy," she said, deciding she could play his game. She slid her hand up the inside of his thigh as he sat sprawled over half the bean bag, with her practically sitting in his lap, before gripping the top of his thigh, smirking as he squirmed. She was surprised at herself, she'd have never been this bold if she was sober, though she supposed there was no turning back now.

"Malfoy now is it, _Granger?_" He purred her surname into her ear, pushing her hair aside to nibble slightly on the lobe. Her breath caught, shocked at his boldness. Draco's heart was racing in his chest. God he wanted this girl. "Well as you said, I don't think it's any of your business who had their hands on my cock."

He paused then, dipping his head to breathe in her magnificent scent, he ran his nose from the nape of her neck to the spot just behind her ear, where he laid a soft kiss. He smiled as he heard her breath catch and her body tremble. She wanted him too.

"Although, if you must know, it was I who had my hand up her skirt," he sat back slightly, but didn't look into her eyes, instead he watched his hand as he slid it further up, running his fingers over her garter straps, and over soft creamy flesh, "under her panties, making her writhe and pant." He stroked the edge of her own lace panties, surprised she had let him go so far. Hermione, who was normally so forceful and assertive, was almost limp against him, overloaded as she was with desire.

Her heart was racing and she knew if she didn't move now, she wouldn't stop him from taking her. But that wasn't part of the plan; he had to work for it. It was going to be no fun if she simply gave it up on the first day back.

"Well that sounds wonderful," she whispered seductively, before throwing his hand off her, straightening her skirt and standing up, albeit a little bit shakily. "But I simply must be going, Ginny are you coming?" she asked, though she didn't expect a reply, as Ginny was firmly latched on to the face of Blaise, obviously they'd made up. "Nevermind," she mumbled, making her way over to the large wooden door.

She turned as she reached it, surprised to find Draco right behind her. "I'll see you tomorrow," she smirked, leaning into him to place a soft kiss on his cheek. "I can't wait." And with that she left. Leaving a severely confused and bedraggled Draco behind.

* * *

_Let me know what you think :)_


	4. Week One: A Sleepover

_Rewritten - 29/12/12. Still love this story, sometimes the desire for it can wane and you read back over an old story and think 'bloody hell, how did I ever put this out for people to read', but not so with this. It's very different to everything I've written since and everything I'm writing now. But I like it. See, I am capable of writing something other than horror and angst and drama lol._

* * *

Hermione sighed happily as she flopped down onto her bed with Ginny at the end of the first week. Friday evening was finally here, meaning a weekend of rest and relaxation - the best way they knew how.

The week had been pretty uneventful altogether. The first years had already been told to steer clear of her and her friends by the Heads and prefects, not that she really cared. She saw Draco in most her classes, but they didn't see each other outside of them except in the great hall for meals, so when they did see each other it was all teasing, in between taking notes and doing practical work.

He was getting bolder and more desperate, and it was only the first week! She didn't know what he would be like this weekend, but she was enjoying the flirting, she wasn't sure whether she wanted it to end.

"'Mione," Ginny mumbled, she was face down in Hermione's pillow, laying spread eagle on the bed.

"Yeah?" Hermione asked, not moving from her spot next to her.

"We need to get changed; we're meeting everyone at like seven aren't we?"

"We are," she sighed. What she really wanted was to sleep, what they were doing instead was spending the night in the room of requirement and she wasn't sure how much sleep she would get. What with Draco being there, plus Ginny and Blaise. It could be a complete clusterfuck…literally.

The two girls moved slowly off the bed and through the curtains surrounding it, trying in vain to ignore the calls of 'dyke' from the other girls in the dorm. Ginny waved goodbye to Hermione before walking downstairs and into her own dorm to get ready, leaving Hermione to get changed and pack a bag for the night.

After she was dressed she stood in front of her trunk trying to decide what to wear the next day, they'd decided to go into Hogsmeade (as being seventh years they were allowed to go when they wanted), and so she would need something warm. She finally decided on some thick wool tights to go with her pink shift dress and brown boots, then before leaving the dorm she grabbed her cream mackintosh coat and black wool hat.

Draco and Theo were the first to arrive at the room, passing before the blank space of wall three times before the door appeared. The room had transformed itself into a large dorm with six four poster beds filling the space. There was a roaring fire at one end, making the room warm and cosy for the students.

"Dude, there's only six beds," Theo said, dropping his bag on top of the bed closest to the door.

"Huh, no idea, mate," Draco replied, placing his bag atop the bed closest to the fire.

Neville and Luna turned up next, greeting Draco and Theo before placing their bags on their respective beds. They also commented on the number of beds, but again they could think of no reason for the small number.

Finally Hermione, Ginny and Blaise arrived. The latter two raced to the bed opposite Draco's, who groaned as the two love birds began to snog fairly enthusiastically on top of said bed. He was distracted, however, by the vision placing her bag on the bed next to his.

"Hey, Draco," Hermione said, pursing her lips as she ran her eyes over his body sprawled on the edge of the bed. He was wearing blue jeans, a grey tee-shirt and he had no shoes on. Hermione thought the sight of him, with his rumpled hair and bare feet, lying haphazardly on the bed, was one of the sexiest things she'd ever seen.

As Hermione perused Draco, Draco was staring at her tits. They were magnificent. She was wearing a blue dress that went down to her knees, which then tied behind her neck. Draco couldn't remember the name for such a dress as he was a little distracted. He'd noticed her hair was once again in those wild curls he loved so much, and she didn't seem to have much makeup on, which he loved in a girl. But what he was fixated on was the fact that her dress hiked her boobs together, showcasing her amazing cleavage. And it was quite obvious she wasn't wearing a bra, and it must have been a little cold.

He shook himself out of it when he heard her throat clear; shaking his head he looked up into Hermione's smirking face,

"See something you like?" she asked innocently, that sexy smirk still in place.

"Maybe," he said, returning to his senses and smirking back, she laughed slightly before turning to the group.

"Where's Pansy?" Ginny asked as she finally came up for air.

"She's with Potter and the Weasel," Blaise's statement was met with wide eyes and blank faces. Not only had Pansy blown off the scheduled night of general teenage debauchery, but she was doing it with (basically) they're arch nemeses.

"Wait…why?" Neville asked, looking confusedly around the group.

"I bet they're shagging," Theo stated with a completely straight face.

"Dude don't say that, I don't want to think of…oh…both of them…in…out…in…out."

"_Draco!_" Hermione shouted, slapping him on the arm to get the dazed and confused look off his face.

"Mate, we really don't want to think about that." Blaise agreed, shaking his head at the images Draco had managed to conjure

"And you think I did?" Incredulous Draco hopped off his bed and moved to sit in the circle that had formed between the beds.

"Guess that's why there are only six beds then," Theo mumbled, pulling the bottle of fire whiskey from his bag.

With the fire roaring the students passed the bottle around and proceeded to get incredible drunk. Hermione watched it all from her spot next to Draco, her body twisted to face him, giving him a wonderful view of her tits. She laughed and joked with the rest of them, enjoying spending time with her friends. Draco wasn't really taking much notice of what was going on, between looking at Hermione's tits and legs he was fairly distracted.

"Do you think all this drinking is bad for our health?" Luna asked from her spot lying with her head in Nevilles lap.

"Yes," Hermione answered, "But we're witches, so it really doesn't matter."

"I'm fucking knackered," Ginny sighed.

"Aye me too," Theo agreed, wobbling slightly as he stood up, "I'm going to bed."

After Theo's decision everyone else decided to get to sleep too, it was three in the morning and they didn't want to be too late going to Hogsmeade later that day.

Hermione and Draco walked over to their beds, each hopping up onto their own. Hermione then drew the curtains around her bed, leaving just a small gap in the curtains facing Draco, so he could get a little peep of her while she changed. She smirked when she realised just how hot and bothered it would make him.

Draco sat on the edge of his bed while removing his jeans and shirt, he generally slept naked, but as he was in a room full of other people he decided to leave his boxers on, as it wouldn't do for Luna or Ginny to see his magnificent cock, if he did say so himself. He was once again distracted, however (and nearly fell off the bed for it) when he could see a slice of Hermione knelt of her bed through the curtains.

He watched silently as she untied the dress from the back of her neck and pulled it up and off of her body. She then folded it, placing it in a bag he couldn't see. What he could see though was her tits. She didn't have a bra on and he had a perfect view of those milk white mounds. He felt his heart race and his breath become short as she shifted to sit on the bed, before unhooking her stockings and suspenders, rolling them down her legs. Her breasts rocked with her movement, those pert pink nipples bouncing with them. Damn, he just wanted to taste them.

After she'd removed her stockings she pulled on a white, loose fitting tank top, before opening the curtains back up. She smirked as she saw Draco, mouth agape staring at her, his jeans forgotten around his ankles.

"You okay there?" she asked, faking innocence. He nodded and she just managed to resist the urge to smirk. "Good. Well good night," she announced, receiving similar from the other students, before she climbed under the covers.

Draco managed to collect himself enough to finish getting undressed and turn the lights out, before crawling into his own bed. But he couldn't sleep. He laid awake, watching Hermione as she tossed and turned under the covers. He couldn't get the image of her tits out of his mind. He wanted her, so fucking much, and it killed him all this innocent flirting. He was ready to step it up a notch.

So, empowered by the alcohol in his veins, he crept silently across the space between his bed and hers, before crawling in behind her, shutting the curtains and casting a silencing spell on the bed, not that any of the other room inhabitants would hear anything, what with them being three sheets to the wind.

She stirred as she felt the bed shift, but didn't open her eyes. Not till she felt him curve his body around hers, placing his hand by the side of her and hovering over her, pressing his obvious erection into her arse.

She blinked her eyes open and looked into those devilish grey eyes of his, watching as the smirk played at the corners of his lips. Her face was a mask of shock; she didn't expect this of him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed, rolling onto her back, allowing him to completely cover her. He lowered his body so it rested against her, pressing his cock into her hip, his eyes rolled back into his head, it felt so fucking good.

"Well, after that little show you put on, did you really expect me to just leave it alone?" They were whispering though there was no need, but it made it feel just a little more naughty, feeling like they could get caught.

He trailed his nose from her collar bone to her ear, where he kissed the spot just behind it, before taking the lobe between his lips and sucking it slightly. He pulled away as he felt her shiver, her hands coming up to rest on his bare chest. God, she wanted him so much.

"You liked it then?" she asked, biting her lip as she knew it drove him wild. He wanted to bend and capture that plump bottom lip between his teeth, only to soothe it with a sweep of his tongue. He wished he knew what she tasted like.

She shifted slightly, so he was lying between her legs. This was dangerous territory now, she wanted him to work for it, not just spread her legs like all his other girls did. She wasn't having it. She and Draco had more than just lust between them and she was determined to make something of it. Of course, as she shifted she felt just how much he liked her against her thigh.

"What would Lucius say if he knew you were between the legs of a muggle born?" she teased, watching as his lips curved into a slow smile.

"I don't give a flying _fuck_ what he thinks, you know that, 'Mione." She laughed softly as she dropped her gaze from his eyes, watching instead as his stomach muscles rippled with the effort to stay hovering above her.

She could feel his heart beating under her hand, and she was sure hers was racing just as quickly. His breath was gasping out by her ear, sending shivers down her spine. She needed to get him out of her bed now.

"Yes well, this has been lovely, but I think you should get back to you own bed now," she said, moving herself so she was no longer trapped under him. She almost laughed at the disappointed look on his face; obviously he thought he'd be getting some tonight.

"See you in the morning," Hermione almost chirped as he stood outside her curtains. She drew them in his face and all he could do was stare.

What. The. Fuck. She was such a bloody tease. He'd get her back though. No one rejected Draco Malfoy, and he was determined to make her his. Settling down to sleep in his own bed he began thinking up plans to make Hermione squirm.

~H~

The next morning the students awoke at eleven as the alarms they'd sent went off. They groaned and moaned and stretched and yawned, as they sat up in their beds, rubbing eyes and scratching heads. Draco looked over to Hermione and was delighted at the sheer size of her hair, it was at least twice the size of her head, and he thought she looked tousled and sexy. Hermione, through bleary eyes, was also perusing Draco. He'd been wearing his hair fairly messy this year so far, but that morning it was ridiculous. There were bits sticking up in all directions as though he'd been running his hands through it all night.

They each took turns in the bathroom before getting dressed. Draco thought Hermione looked really cosy in her dress and tights and although it wasn't the sexiest thing she had worn, he couldn't stop imagining ripping it off of her.

Finally they were all ready to go, wrapped up in light coats and hats, ready to brace the Scottish autumn winds. They traipsed out of the castle, talking about their weeks and thanking Merlin for hangover potions, that Blaise had a permanent stash of.

As they passed out of the large oak front doors Draco slid his hand into Hermione's, and both students smiled slightly as she didn't pull away, but held on tighter.

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_Let me know what you think :)_


	5. Week One: Shopping Trip

_Rewritten - 29/12/12. Re-reading this story, it sends me back to where I was in 2010, and where I am now, I'd just finished my first year at uni, and I was moving into the flat with my boyfriend, who's now my fiance. And I've only got 1 year left at uni, and I'm looking for a house. It's all a little...strange haha._

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Hermione and Draco walked at the back of the group towards Hogsmeade, it would take them about twenty minutes to walk there, and the winds that morning were especially cold so they couldn't wait to get into the warmth of the shops.

"You look really nice today," Draco told her, surprised at himself as he realised he'd never told her that before, how was he supposed to win her over if he wasn't even a little courteous.

"Thanks. So do you," she replied, he did look good today, she thought. He was once again wearing his blue jeans with his brown ankle boots, and he had a long black wool coat covering his top half.

Hermione was still reveling in the feel of his hand in hers. She'd never had a boy hold her hand before. But she'd never had a boyfriend before, not really. She had boys from home she shagged on occasion, or kissed, or was felt up by in the back of a car, but never a real boyfriend. But that's what she wanted with Draco. She wanted to hold hands and kiss and _Merlin _she wanted him to fuck her. Above all else, that was what she wanted, and it was killing her to make him wait.

"Jesus it's bloody _freezing,_" Blaise moaned from up ahead, they watched as Ginny punched his arm.

"Don't be such a pussy!"

"_Ow_, What the fuck, Gin?!" Draco and Hermione shook their heads and laughed. It was always the same with those two, constantly bickering and fighting, of course then they'd make up…loudly.

They carried on walking until they came to village, where they split up and decided to meet at The Three Broomsticks for dinner. Draco left with Theo to Honeydukes sweet shop, while Ginny dragged Blaise to Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Neville and Luna left to go to Dogweed and Deathcap, to stock up on herbology supplies, leaving Hermione to go to Tomes and Scrolls, the local bookshop, where she would quite happily spend the next couple of hours looking at the books.

Draco watched as Hermione entered the old bookshop, deciding that after buying his sweets he would go catch up to her, maybe corner her in a dark and dusty corner, feel her up a little. Yes that would definitely be a good plan. And so, plan of action sorted, he turned back to the shelf of sugar quills he was looking at, hoping to get something he could chew on in lessons.

Meanwhile, Hermione was perusing the shelves. She loved that book shop, it had the widest variety of wizard written fiction she'd found, and she'd noticed that it wasn't all that different from muggle fiction. The only real difference was the people in these stories could do magic, but then again in some muggle fiction they could. She ran a finger along the spines of books sitting on the shelf at her eye level, the shelves ran from the front of the shop to the back, and reached right up to the ceiling, she would need to use the ladder to reach them.

She walked down one row and turned left into the next. The shelves around her held romantic fiction, and she knew the erotic novels could be found at the highest point of the middle shelf. She loved buying a good 'bodice-ripper', not only did they make for an interesting read, but she enjoyed making the old man who worked the counter there blush while she simply smiled innocently.

Hermione wandered around the rest of the shop, looking for the step ladder. She could never find it; someone always hid it in the darkest corner of the shop, meaning she had to traipse around to find it, and then struggle back to where she came from, just to reach her books.

Finally, however, she found it, and managed to move so it was leaned against the shelf, allowing her to climb up. Once at the top of the ladder, she perched herself on top of the self so she was able to peruse the novels to her leisure. She pulled three promising ones off the shelf and looked at the blurbs.

The first she wasn't too sure about, it was a Jane Austen era story about a young witch who was seduced by the local muggle stable boy. Hermione thought it sounded like all sex and no plot, so she placed it back on the shelf and moved onto the next one. Again it didn't take her fancy; this was a story of a succubus, a female vampire who seduced men before killing them, however, in this one the vampire didn't have the heart to kill her latest conquest and so started a relationship with them. Hermione rolled her eyes _as though that hasn't been done before_ she thought, again placing the book on the shelf.

The last looked to be very promising though, and she was just about to come down when she felt the steps shake slightly. She squealed and clung onto the rungs as tight as she could before looking down to see who had moved it, and found herself staring into the smirking silver eyes of Draco Malfoy.

"What in the ever loving _fuck _do you think you're doing?!" she whispered angrily, careful not to make too much noise so as not to alert the owner to what was going on.

"Looking up your skirt, really wish you didn't have tights on," he sneered playfully. Oh! The things she was going to him when she got down from there…and not good things either.

"Well pack it in so I can come down," she said, pointing her finger at him to force her point. Draco just laughed, he adored seeing her all flustered, even if she was angry at him; she was just so much fun to tease.

He laughed but stepped back to allow her to come down. It wasn't fun teasing her if she was just going to get angry at him; he continued laughing as she whacked him across the chest with her book, which he stole quickly with his seeker reflexes.

"Hey! Give it back, Malfoy," she said, trying desperately to reach around and grab the book from him. He laughed at her, she acted so calm and cool but when it came to her books she was anything but.

"What do we have here?" he said, flipping the book over and beginning to read the blurb, "Meet Aoife," here he paused "A-o-iffy? What sort of bloody name is that?" he asked.

"It's pronounced Eva, its Gaelic," Hermione replied curtly, she wasn't impressed with him at all.

"Right." Laughing at her annoyed expression he continued, "Meet Aoife, daughter of the King, betrothed to the devious Proinnsias." Once again he stopped, mumbling 'fucking irish' under his breath before turning to Hermione for help again.

She sighed in exasperation and replied, "Pronshe-is," impatiently, waiting for him to finish reading and get over it.

"Right," he cleared his throat before continuing…again, "devious Proinnsias. But her life as a princess is far from idyllic, for she craves the forbidden. The thief in the dungeons, destined for death, is whom she desires. Can she save him before it's too late, while also quenching the insatiable lust she feels for this devilish trickster. Well, I didn't know you had it in you." He smirked thumbing the pages.

"Well I had to learn all my tricks from somewhere didn't I?" she replied saucily, before quickly stealing her book back and heading over to pay for it.

After she'd paid for her book they walked out of the shop and across to the Three Broomsticks pub, they were early but they didn't mind. After buying a round of butterbeers they snagged a booth at the back, big enough for all of them.

They sat on opposite sides of the booth, supping on their butterbeers and talking about everything and nothing at the same time. It was comfortable and normal, there was no teasing or flirting, they simply talked. Hermione liked it, hoping this meant a relationship between them would work; it showed they had more in common than simply teenage lust.

"Do you believe in God?" she asked him, surprised at herself for asking such a thing.

"I don't know, we don't really get taught about such things as wizards," he replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "Do you?"

"Not sure, do you know much about muggle religion?" she asked, hoping he did so she could continue the conversation.

"A little."

"Well, see, I think there is a 'higher power' but I don't know if that's one singular thing. I mean the Hindus and Egyptians and Romans and Greeks, had loads of Gods, but it still comes down to one group, one higher power."

Draco nodded, "Yeah. I never understood that about muggle religion, you've got so many different ones, and it's like, really aren't they all just the same? You're all still worshipping to a higher power, what does it matter what you think it looks like"

"Exactly!" Hermione exclaimed, blushing as she noticed people look their way, but she was so glad that someone shared her opinion, "I don't believe in Hell either," she stated.

"I do," Draco replied.

"Really? How come?"

"Well, I just think there's a place where the bad people go. Whether that's to a fiery Hell or whether it's just someplace else I don't know. But I think we're judged when it comes our time to be."

Hermione nodded, though she didn't completely agree

"How come you don't then 'Mione?" he asked, taking a swig from his bottle.

"Well, I think, if God's supposed to be all loving, why would he punish people? Why not offer them redemption when their life is over?"

"Good point," he agreed. Though he wasn't sure she was right. There were people from his families past, that he wasn't sure deserved redemption, not after all the stories he'd heard.

The conversation ended there as the others all piled into the booth, meaning Hermione and Draco moved closer together along the circular bench seat, until they were next to each other, their thighs pressing together.

The evening carried on then, filled with conversation and laughter and butterbeer. Neither Hermione nor Draco could really concentrate, how could they when they felt this charge passing through them, starting at where their thighs connected, reaching to where Draco had thrown his arm over the back of Hermione's seat. Her heart was beating so fast, and she couldn't help watching his lips move as he spoke and as he lifted the bottle to press against his lips. She was slowly going mad with desire for him. She needed to get out of this pub.

Finally, it was time for them to return to the castle. Both Hermione and Draco breathed a sigh of relief. Draco may have wanted her, but sitting that close to her, when surrounded by their friends, when he knew he couldn't simply take her, was painful - literally. Blue balls were not something he enjoyed.

They said their goodbyes in the entrance hall, Draco placing a soft kiss on Hermione's cheek before he turned to go. However, an errant thought had him stopping and turning back, this of course meant everyone stopped, wondering what had gotten into him.

"Isn't it your birthday tomorrow?" he asked her.

Her eyes widened, she'd forgotten, tomorrow she would turn eighteen. How had she forgotten, but Draco had remembered. She nodded, too shocked at herself to speak.

"Well, we'll have to have a party then won't we," he announced before grinning and carrying on down the stairs to the dungeons.

Hermione gaped after him. She had been so caught up in the week of classes she had completely forgotten about her own birthday. She walked in a daze as the others talked about the party, scolding her for not reminding them, though Ginny claimed she had remembered.

Hermione ignored their chatter and placed a hand to her cheek where her skin was still tingling from where Draco had kissed her. _Maybe he'll give me a birthday kiss, _she thought, smiling as she climbed the stairs to bed.

* * *

_Let me know what you think :)_


	6. The Birthday

_Rewritten - 29/12/12. I'm still going! It's quite tiring doing all this re-writing and beta'ing and what not. I was hoping to finish it tonight, but I don't think that's going to happen. I'll aim for chapter 10 tonight, and get the rest done some time tomorrow :)_

* * *

The following day dawned bright, autumn sunlight flickering through the window next to Hermione's bed and landing on her eyes. She scrunched them together trying to keep the light from them; she wasn't going to wake up yet. She was determined. The dream she'd been having was just too good to let go, yet it seemed to be slipping further and further from her grip.

Before she had chance to truly wake herself up, a very excitable Ginny Weasley came bounding into the dorm, red hair flying as she shouted 'Happy Birthday!' over and over again. When Ginny jumped onto Hermione's bed, Hermione wasn't sure she could be held responsible for what she was about to do.

"Get the fuck off of me, before I do something I may or may not regret," she grumbled into her pillow. Hermione was _not_ a morning person.

"But it's your birthday, look at all the presents you've got!" Ginny practically squealed, once again bouncing on the bed.

"I swear to _fucking Merlin, _Ginny," Hermione growled. "If you don't get off this bed I'll kill you, I fucking swear it."

"Don't be such a drama queen," Ginny sighed, but she got off the bed, and she didn't laugh as she took in the state of Hermione's hair, she knew she would only get a smack for that.

Reluctantly Hermione sat up in bed, running a lethargic hand through the bird's nest that was her hair. Fuck, she hated mornings. But it was her birthday so she supposed she should get up at some point really.

"Hand me the first one," she mumbled to Ginny. They did this every year, no matter which of their birthdays it was Ginny would faithfully come bounding in to either hand Hermione her presents or carrying her own to open with her.

"Okay, so this one if from…Luna!" she exclaimed, handing her the bright yellow package.

Without ceremony Hermione opened it to reveal a book, not just any book though this was a book about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. She snorted a laugh, shaking her head at the shear madness that was Luna before placing the book aside and holding her hand out for the next one.

"This is from both me and Blaise," Ginny said, biting her lip in anticipation for Hermione opening the box.

"Blaise too lazy to buy his own present is he?" she asked blandly, tearing into the beautiful shimmering purple paper to reveal a white box. She shot a look to Ginny, pursing her lips; she knew exactly what was going to be in here. Hermione sighed and braced herself as she lifted the lid. Laid in the box, on a bed of pink satin was a Slytherin green corset, fully boned with matching black French knickers with green bows.

"You forgot the stockings Gin," she murmured, actually surprised Ginny had picked something so tasteful, usually it was something gaudy covered in cheap lace, but this was nice…simple in its design but still incredibly provocative.

"I figured it would make your tits look awesome, and what better colour than Draco's favourite?" Ginny asked, smirking.

"Draco's favourite colour is blue actually, though he does love to see me in his house colours," she murmured, imagining his reaction if he ever did see her in this get-up.

"Well anyway," Ginny said, moving to the box with the corset in out of the way, to place another on Hermione's lap. "This is from Pansy, we co-ordinated."

Hermione could only imagine what was in this box, though it looked like a shoe box. Oh how she prayed it was shoes. After once again ripping the black paper from around the box she discovered her praying had paid off, after removing the lid of the box she simply gaped.

The shoes Pansy had bestowed on her were beautiful. Simple black patent peep toe courts with a wide heel. But what caught her attention was the bright red sole.

"Ginny…are these…?" she trailed off

"Yep, we braved the internet, and you are now the proud owner of your very own Christian Louboutins." Hermione could only gape as Ginny sat, oh so proud of herself and Pansy.

"I…what…thank you," she finally sighed, unable to take her eyes off the leather beauties, she was so wearing those today. If there was one thing, besides Draco, that could make her swoon it was a beautiful pair of shoes.

"Right, next we have Theo and I think we can guess what this is," Ginny said, handing her a suspiciously shaped piece of wrapping.

"Oh yes," Hermione said, sarcasm dripping from each word. "How will I ever guess what this is?" The two girls laughed as she unwrapped the bright blue bong. Only Theo.

"Here's Neville's." Hermione thanked Ginny and opened the package to find about a pound of his prime hash.

"Woah." Both the girl's eyes widened.

"That is a lot of weed," Hermione sighed, simply amazed he'd given her so much.

"Guess that's for your bong then." Hermione nodded with Ginny's statement; obviously they'd co-ordinated too.

"And last but not least Draco's present."

Hermione accepted the flat pink box carefully; it looked like a jewellery box. It was pale pink and wrapped in a baby blue ribbon, which she decided she would wear in her hair. She grabbed it securely from the bottom and placed her other hand on the lid after removing the ribbon. God what could he have gotten her? She had visions of some sort of jewellery, something expensive and entirely inappropriate.

"Open it already!" Ginny urged, giggling at her friend's nervousness.

Sighing Hermione opened the box then frowned, an astonished look coming over her face.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, trying to bend around to see into the box. Slowly, she watched as Hermione removed the small pink ring of leather, upon which dangled a tiny bell and silver tag.

"Is that…?"

"It's a cat's collar, the tag says Crookshanks," she replied, still completely shocked.

"So he's got you a kitten?!" Ginny exclaimed.

"It would appear so."

The girls spent no more time pondering the kitten situation and instead separated, Ginny heading off to her own dorm to get dressed before heading down to breakfast. Hermione was grateful for the quiet; for once, she was the only one in her dorm, the other girl's having already gotten up and dressed. It meant she could peruse her wardrobe in peace. She wanted something sexy, something eye catching, something to make Draco squirm.

She rummaged in her trunk trying to find what she was looking for. She knew just the thing to make him gasp when he saw her; to make him wriggle in his seat to become comfortable. Damn it she wanted him caught off guard for once. He was always distracting her with his eyes and his electric touch, now it was her turn. Her turn to tease him and leave him begging for more.

"Fucking yes!" she exclaimed as she waved the piece of clothing in the air.

She quickly stripped out of her pyjamas and jumped into the shower, scrubbing away the night's residue quickly before jumping back out of the shower and blow drying her hair. She knew it would be faster to simply use her wand like all the other girls, but she found the effect simply wasn't the same. This way her curls were massive and glossy and bouncy, just like he liked them.

She smiled at her reflection, quickly slicking on a layer of mascara over her lashes and a quick smear of pale pink lip balm to her lips, smacking and pouting them together, scrunching her nose at her silliness.

She dressed quickly in what she was sure to make Draco fall at her feet. It was a black dress, which was extremely tight from its long lace sleeves to where it cinched in with a bright blue bow at her waist, before skimming in an A-line to her knees. It was modest, but incredibly sexy. She matched it with her new shoes and pulled her hair back with the ribbon that once wrapped around Draco's gift to her.

She was incredibly pleased with herself when she met Ginny on the stairs, simply staring at her friend. Ginny had chosen to wear the tightest, shortest skirt Hermione had ever seen; in the brightest shade of red under which she wore black fish net tights with her scuffed Dr Marten boots (a gift from Hermione). She was also wearing a black vest top under a simply black cardigan. Her long bright red hair was straight and pulled into a ponytail at the back of her head, it showed off the star she'd had tattooed just behind her ear, though thankfully the cardigan covered the rest of them.

"Wow, really going for it today aren't you?" Hermione asked, smirking slightly as they descended into the common room.

"Well, I thought why not? Plus this way people see the new piercing." She turned her head so Hermione could see it. She knew what it looked like of course, the large industrial bar along the top of her ear, she'd been there when Ginny had had it done.

"I think it's amazing no one noticed before," Hermione commented as they waited for one of the moving staircases to swing back their way.

"I've never pulled my hair up have I?" No, Hermione supposed she hadn't.

Hermione didn't understand Ginny's fetish with getting so many piercings and tattoos, to her it just seemed like unnecessary pain. Although she too had two piercings in each ear lobe it was nothing compared to her friend.

"What do you have pierced now?" she asked, frowning as she couldn't quite remember. Though she'd been present at almost every one, it seemed she'd blocked them from her memory.

"You want the list?" When Hermione nodded, she took a deep breath and began, "Well both ears twice like you, my bar now of course, my tongue." She pushed it out to show the little steel ball to emphasise it. "My lip, though the school make me hide the bar." _Oh_, Hermione remembered now, Ginny had been taught a simple concealing spell specifically for that purpose, "I have a nipple done, my belly button and my clit." Hermione gulped at the last one, she'd been there for that too, _that_ was something she wished she'd never had to witness.

By this time the girls had reached the door to the entrance hall, the sound of people up and about eating breakfast could be heard from within. Hermione smirked; she was going to give Draco the shock of his life. It was time to take this whole thing into her hands.

"I'm going to see Blaise so I'll meet you at the table yeah?" Ginny asked a suggestive gleam in her eye. Oh Hermione was sure she was going to _see_ Blaise.

"Well I'm going to _see_ Draco too so I'll come with you," she returned, smirking slightly as she followed Ginny into the hall.

She looked up to see the ceiling swirling with dark clouds filled with rain. She frowned slightly; there had been talk of a walk by the lake. But the rain looked set in, so that seemed highly unlikely now.

Not many spared her a glance as she crossed the hall. It was as she liked it, though the occasionally younger student still fancied a glance. She flicked her hair though and threw a wink at an unsuspecting fourth year that proceeded to choke on his breakfast. _The poor boy probably thought I was going to eat him, _she thought, laughing silently.

She finally reached his table, maintaining eye contact with those startling grey orbs that seemed to see right in to her soul. She wondered if he could see what she had planned. She continued looking his way as she walked behind those sitting beside him, behind Ginny and Blaise who were locked quite tightly together but also looked up to watch her walk past. He was smirking, leaning nonchalantly on the table as he'd swung around the bench to face her better, well he wouldn't be smirking in a minute.

She didn't stop as she reached him but instead placed her hands behind his shoulders on the table and slowly lowered herself to straddle his lap. Maintaining eye contact still, she reached down to grasp his hand and placed it on her thigh, biting her lip as she made him move it slowly up and under her skirt, all the while feeling nothing but skin, all the way to her hip where there was still no material. Nothing indicating underwear.

Draco was gobsmacked; he wasn't sure what to do. Hermione was always assertive, of course, but lately she seemed to melt near him, to lose her cool around him. It made him feel strong and, as sad as it was to admit it, manly. He enjoyed seeing her weak kneed and weak willed. But the woman on his lap was no weakling, she was strong, someone who knew exactly what she wanted, and apparently, that was him.

He quickly regained himself and leaned forward, letting his hand skim across the top of the thigh, as he nuzzled his face into her neck, turning to whisper in her ear.

"You're a very naughty girl. No panties." He tutted, the sounds vibrating the air past her ear, sending delightful shivers down her back.

"Only for you, if you like," she replied, leaning back to watch his eyes cloud over with lust. She bit her lip as he slipped his fingers along her. Feeling her hot and ready for him if he wanted.

"Merlin, I want you," he growled into her ear, gasping as she ground onto his hand slightly.

His hair was oh so soft in her hands, as she grasped onto handfuls of it. His mouth gaped slightly, his eyes hooded with lust, so lost to the moment. Her heart was pounding, her stomach twisting into knots. She'd imagined doing what she was about to for so long; the moment was rife with tension, though she wondered if he could feel it. Gently, she pressed her lips to his, allowing her eyes to drop shut.

She'd always imagined what it would be like kissing him, but this was so much better. His lips so soft under hers, as they both gasped and shuddered while her hands slid to his shoulders, and his gripped tight to her waist, pulling her closer. She wanted to crawl into him, into his scent and feel and _taste. _His taste was almost too much. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she was sure she would collapse; surely so much sensation would kill someone, surely.

Draco was feeling something similar. He felt a particular stirring where Hermione was pressed against him; rubbing her heat into him, he wasn't even sure she meant to do it. He was no longer aware of the sound of people surrounding them, of people staring at them. All he knew was the feel of her small waist, of her hands clenching on his shoulders, and her lips. Merlin, her lips. How many nights had he spent dreaming of her lips, only to awake and have to…take care of business? He was so shocked when he felt she had no underwear on. It was so _fucking_ sexy. He was thrown off course by it, then again when she simply grabbed him and kissed him. He'd never been with a girl more assertive than Hermione and he hoped she would lead them somewhere more private. As he massaged her lips with is, slipping his tongue into her mouth to curl with hers, he hoped and prayed, nay _begged_ that he would have her writhing under him soon enough.

All too soon for Draco's liking Hermione drew away. She smiled as she saw his eyes still glazed over, before he blinked lazily. She smirked and removed his hands from around her waist, then stood up, brushing the invisible specks of dirt from her skirt. Draco recovered then, sitting up straighter about to protest to what she was doing, unless of course she was leaving to take him with her.

"Well that was lovely, maybe I'll see you later," she said, a look of perfect indifference on her face, not looking at all affected by their interaction. He simply blinked, not able to say anything else,

"Oh and thanks for the present," she smiled then a walked off. Leaving Draco behind to look at Blaise and exclaim,

"What the _fuck_?!"

* * *

_Let me know what you think :)_


	7. The Birthday Party

_Rewritten - 29/12/12_

* * *

The stone was cold behind her back, as Hermione stood just outside the doors to the entrance hall; she was almost hidden allowing the few tears she'd been holding in to shed. It was more intense than she'd imagined, she never knew she could feel like that from a simple kiss. But then, Draco wasn't exactly simple. Her chest heaved as her heart gradually slowed in her chest.

What had possessed her to do such a stupid thing? The idea had been to knock Draco off his game, to show him that she wasn't a toy to be played with, that she wanted this to be real. But was that really the way to go about it? All she'd managed to do, as far as she could see, was get herself into a ridiculous state.

Meanwhile, Draco was still gaping after Hermione, wondering what the hell had happened and thinking if that's the way she reacted every time he bought her a kitten she'd be rolling in them. She'd just felt so fucking good straddling him like that, her dress bunched up around her thighs, which were so smooth under his hands. He wished he'd had more time to become acquainted with them.

He had to admit though; he was fucking excited to give her the kitten, even if it was a complete cock of an animal. It hissed and bit and clawed and scratched, he'd taken to keeping it in a tall box so it couldn't get out. It was the most ugly/adorable creature he'd ever seen - it was just the sort of thing Hermione would like, the type of animal left in the store after all the good looking animals have gone.

"Don't tell me you aren't going after her?" Ginny asked perplexed from her spot on Blaises lap.

"Well she left pretty quickly, I doubt she really wants me to," he replied. In truth he wasn't sure he could stand at the moment. He might have been sure of himself, but not even he could get away with walking through the hall with a substantial bulge in his trousers.

"Are you completely thick headed?" She placed her hand in the air before he could retort, "Don't answer that, of course you are. Go after her!" Not settling for anything but the reaction she desired, she shoved hard on his shoulder, continuing to push until he finally moved.

"Fine I'll go," he murmured, before walking out of the hall to Hermione.

By this time Hermione was in full panic mode. Her heart was doing weird things in her chest and there was the definite feel of regret beginning to cool her skin. The pants she'd stashed in her pocket were on, and she'd contemplated running back to her dorm to pop her tights on; she wasn't sure why she hadn't. Instead she'd paced the hallway floor, biting her nails and running her hands over her skirt.

What she had managed to deduce, from all the pacing and nail biting, was that she was just as much of a whore as Lavender and Parvati. What she had just done was disgraceful and tasteless and not sexy at all. Hermione prided herself on being one classy bird, she wore tasteful clothes and enjoyed leaving things to the imagination - what she'd just done left absolutely _nothing_ to the imagination.

She stopped marching as the great hall doors opened behind her, she turned to see who had left but stopped when she came face to face with Draco, who was still incredibly flushed.

"Hey," he murmured, now completely unsure what to do.

"Hello," she sighed, ringing her hands, just waiting for him to tell her he thought she was a slut. She wouldn't be surprised.

"So…" he began and she braced herself. _Here it comes_ she thought."That was really fucking hot," he said, regaining himself as he stalked towards her, smirking as she backed away until her back hit the wall.

"Really?" she squeaked, overcome by his scent, nearness and overall Draco-ness.

"'Course," he stated, like it was common fact.

He could almost see her pulse jumping in her neck. Her eyes had dilated and her hands had clamped onto his biceps when he spread his hands on her tiny waist.

"It was really, _naughty,_" he whispered into her ear, smirking as she shivered and gasped. _Now look whose turn it is_.

"You don't think it was…whorish?" she asked. All she wanted really was to play back to him, but her insecurities about the event wouldn't let her, she needed reassurance and she wanted him to make the moves this time.

"Of course not. It was sexy," he replied, completely confused by her train of thought. Didn't she know he loved it? He pressed closer; pushing his hips into hers to show her just how much he enjoyed it.

Hermione's eyes widened as she felt the obvious effect of her actions. Knowing he didn't think she was an absolute whore for what she did, gave her the confidence boost she needed to match Draco's teasing nature. She circled her hips, pressing them into him, watching as his eyes rolled back slightly in pleasure.

"Do you like that?" she asked innocently, as though unaware of the effect she had on him.

"More than you know," he ground out, groaning into her ear as she pressed forward once more.

He'd had enough of her idle teasing, he grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the wall by her shoulders, trapping her against him. He smirked as she gasped her breathing quickening slightly, though she tried to hide it. Draco leaned forward, skimming his nose along her exposed collar bone and neck breathing in her natural scent; it was breathtaking. He moaned and rejoiced in seeing her squirm.

Then his lips were on hers. Crushing. Possessing. His tongue slipped inside her mouth to tangle with her own. His hands slid from her wrists and found quick purchase at her waist, gripping it tightly to bring her closer as her hands wove into his silken hair. They gasped against each other, writhing against the wall. When her legs threatened to give out, he caught her, gripping tight to her thighs and holding her against him. Their hips were joined, and Draco cursed the layers of clothing between them.

"My room or yours," he said, breathing heavy. That was when Hermione realised where she was and what she was doing. She couldn't do this. _This_ would be far too easy. And so with great restraint she pulled herself away from him, detangling her hands from his hair and unwrapping her legs from his waist. Once safely on her feet, though still feeling decidedly shaky, she pushed him away, wagging her finger in his face.

"I don't think so, Mr Malfoy." Then before she could change her mind, she left, mindful of Blaise and Ginny staring, mouths agape at her.

She didn't look back at she walked away. Scared that if she did she wouldn't continue in her plan, and would instead go running into his arms, simply begging him to take her. It was his eyes, she decided, those silver blue eyes that made women become puddles of lust, unrestrained and untamed.

Hermione needed to compose herself before she saw him for her party. She needed to change her knickers first though.

~H~

Draco was once again slightly confused as to what had happened. He'd been kissing her, _thoroughly ravaging her more like_. Things were going well. He'd decided to screw the whole 'getting her back' thing and simply have her, she seemed more than willing. And then, nothing. She left him horny, hard and wanting. With the most confused and perplexed look on his face that either Blaise or Ginny had seen, it was almost comical.

Ginny ran quickly after Hermione, knowing her friend would need someone to talk to after what had just occurred, kissing Blaise sweetly before she went. Blaise stood leaning casually against the wall behind Draco, hands in his pockets as though he had not a care in the world. Simply waiting for his friend to compute what had occurred.

"Fuckshitbuggeringhell,fuckingwitch,magic,mind control. _FUCK!_" And there it was. Draco was stamping his feet and waving his arms and just generally going a little mad. Blaise was surprised he'd managed to discern what he'd said.

"Now, what would Narcissa say if she heard her little boy using language like that?" He clucked his tongue disapprovingly, all the while hiding his smile.

"Fuck off," Draco grumbled, almost embarrassed his rejection and subsequent rant had been over heard.

"Whatever mate, you're completely stuck on her and she just totally owned you," Blaise continued, relishing in his friends misery.

"Come on, I've got to go feed the demon spawn," he grumbled, referring to little ball of ginger evil he'd acquired for Hermione. Before she'd completely squashed him and left him with seriously aching bollocks.

~H~

At half past five that afternoon, the students reconvened in the room of requirement which had been completely decked out in birthday decorations. Balloons that changed colour littered the ceiling as tiny (literal) fairy lights hovered between them, giving the room a soft glow enhanced by the light of the fire. Along one wall of the room was a table, laden with party food, while at the end stood a three tier birthday cake.

Everyone was there apart from the birthday girl and Ginny. Luna had the elderflower wine flowing, while Neville attempted to levitate a keg and Theo passed around shots of fire whiskey, getting everyone in a thoroughly good mood for a party.

Finally Hermione arrived, everyone shouting Happy Birthday as she entered. She smiled so wide she thought it would break her face. She had been unhappy to be spending her eighteenth birthday away from her family and friends back home, but now she was glad she was here with her real friends - people who knew everything there was to know about Hermione Granger.

Draco handed her a glass of wine before directing her to sit in an arm chair so he could retrieve her present.

"Now I couldn't exactly trust the house elves with this overnight so I figured I'd wait and give you it now; though of course you know what it is," he stated, placing a brown cardboard box on her lap. As it became situated it rattled and a tiny 'meow' escaped through the holes.

Hermione was quick to open the box then and pulled out the tiny ginger kitten all the while Draco cringed; waiting for the evil little thing to attack her like it had him. But it didn't. Instead it turned its flat face to Hermione's and purred as she stroked it's ears, all the while smiling at it. Draco glowered, though he was happy it liked her and she liked it, he wouldn't have minded if it was a little shit like it had been the whole time in his care.

"So you're Crookshanks?" She said, nuzzling her nose to his, smiling as he purred. She was delighted. "Oh, this is the best thing. Honestly." Hermione was so happy, she smiled brightly at him, and Draco decided then that he couldn't be angry at her for leaving, not when she was that happy.

"Well you've always wanted a cat," he murmured, shrugging like it was no big deal he'd bought her a kitten.

"Now Mr. I don't think this party is any place for you, so I'll just take you to my room," she told the cat, cradling him in her arms before heading to the door.

"I'll do that 'Mione, you stay and enjoy the party." Ginny intercepted her before she could reach the door, gently prying the tiny kitten off her arm and placing him in his box before leaving.

The party continued in the way most of their gatherings do. They drank copious amounts of booze, smoked some weed and watched as Theo taught Luna and Pansy how to use a bong, which was hilarious.

By midnight Hermione found herself curled into Draco's lap, with no real recollection of how she got there. She definitely did not intend to get this drunk on a Sunday. Especially after the day she'd had with Draco, who knew what would happen while they were both pissed as farts.

Draco meanwhile was relishing the contact. He remembered, quite vividly, how she got there, crawling in her sexily drunk way into his lap, her red dress bunched around her knees. It was fucking hot. He'd barely noticed what she'd been wearing for once, but when he did, he couldn't stop looking. This dress was tight, _all the way down._ It was incredibly tight across her tits, making them look fucking huge against her tiny waist, before the red material stretched over her delicious arse before stopping just above her knees with a split up the back. All he knew was it was fuck hot and he really wanted to peel it off her.

He was also pretty sure she wasn't wearing anything underneath except long black socks, he was determined there was no way she could be wearing underwear. It was too tight. He'd have seen the outline of it, and imagined licking it.

So she was all curled into his lap, playing with the buttons on his shirt while she watched everyone dancing and lounging around. Her skirt was bunched up to her thighs, and every so often she wriggled further into his lap, seemingly unaware of his growing…_problem._

"You're really fucking pretty, Draco," she mumbled, not looking at him as she played with his buttons. Unlike her, Draco hadn't drunk as much and was therefore decidedly more sober.

"Well cheers, so are you," he said, grabbing her hand and interlacing their fingers, marveling at how soft they were.

"I really like you, you know."

"Course you do," he was smirking now, amused by her little pouty drunk face.

"But you're not getting any. No matter how much I want you to fuck me," she stated, as though telling him what the weather would be like tomorrow.

"How come?" He frowned. Why couldn't he get some if she wanted it too?

"I'm _not_ one of your whores. And what I say goes."

"I know you're not, 'Mione." When did he make her feel like that?

"Good. Now I think I'm going to throw up." And she did. Thankfully the room conjured a bowl just in time for her to projectile vomit into.

"Bed time for the birthday girl I think," Draco murmured, carrying her over to one of the beds that had appeared, forever thankful to that resourceful room.

"Don't want to go to bed though," she sighed, though she didn't fight him as he transfigured her dress into comfy night clothes before tucking her in.

"Course not," he said, kissing her lightly on the head. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow. Dreaming of beautiful blonde men and ginger kittens.

* * *

_You know I'd completely forgotten about Crookshanks xD._

_Let me know what you think :)_


	8. A Halloween Party

_Rewritten - 29/12/12. I'd forgotten how long all of these chapters were. I don't write chapters this long anymore, I go for quality over quantity, including only what's integral to the plot, but this story's plot is rather weak - I don't mind saying, and I just can't bring myself to completely butcher each chapter like I should lol._

* * *

The weeks up to Halloween passed quickly. They were filled with lessons and trips into Hogsmeade for early Christmas shopping. Pansy was a whirlwind of movement and excitement. They were having a Halloween dance, and she had decided to throw an after party in the room of requirement. Of course, this meant sorting out refreshments and decorations and such. Plus she had to warn her friends _not_ to bring any weed as Harry or Ron was likely to kick off.

"I still don't see why we have to go; couldn't we just go down to the lake or something?" Draco and Hermione were sat huddled in a back booth in the library 'studying', well, actually, Hermione was, Draco…not so much.

"It's called being sociable, maybe you should try it sometime?" she replied, taking her eyes off of the book in front of her to glare sarcastically at him. Of course she got a little caught up staring at him, at his strong jaw and chiseled nose, the way his blond hair fell over his face. He was an incredible looking bloke, anyone would get distracted.

"Aye but still, Potter." He shuddered. "Really, 'Mione, I'd rather poke my eyes out with hot pokers, thanks."

"Yes well, we can just ignore him, can't we?"

"Whatever you say." He wrapped his arm around the back of the bench then, resting his hand on her shoulder. "What're you wearing tomorrow night then? Or should I say, what _aren't_ you wearing?"

Scoffing Hermione shoved his arm away from her as he just laughed. Ever since her birthday he just hadn't been able to let the whole 'no knickers' thing go. It was getting old, really fucking quickly. However, their relationship hadn't changed overly much, which was one more thing she'd begun to worry about. With all this added flirting, and teasing, and kissing, Hermione was worried that they'd lose who they were to one another. They were friends first and foremost, and very good friends at that. They may not have sent each other letter's or seen one another over summer, but that didn't mean they didn't have a strong bond.

"You keep that up, mate, and you won't be finding out what I am or am not wearing."

He laughed but left her alone. They'd come to a sort of impasse. Every time they tried to get the better of the other it only left them horny and lonely, so they'd stopped. They still flirted and touched under the tables, but they'd sort of reached an agreement.

They wanted to be together, even if Draco couldn't quite admit it yet, but they weren't ready to be together. So far they were just happy to be really close friends, who kissed on occasion, like now.

He'd surprised her again, but he usually did. She didn't think he realised he was usually the one to initiate their kisses and touches, but she didn't want to tell him and spoil it. She loved having his lips on hers, his hands running along her ribs, sometimes brushing lightly over her breast. She threaded her fingers into his hair, so silky and getting so long now, she enjoyed having something to tug and hold onto. His tongue caressed hers, and he honestly thought nothing tasted quite like Hermione. He loved making her writhe and squirm, and that was simply from kissing, he couldn't help imagining what she would be like under him when they finally fucked.

They pulled apart, breathless and smiling, before Hermione turned back to her book and left Draco to his thoughts. He'd been trying to be better, to treat her like the beautiful woman she was. After her little outburst at her birthday party about how she wasn't one of his usual whores, he'd been making an effort to prove she wasn't just another girl in a long line of them. Yes, he found it difficult admitting he wanted to be with her, to claim her as his and his alone, but he knew how he felt.

He wasn't looking forward to tonight; they'd done well to avoid outright confrontations with Potter and his little band of followers so far, so he wasn't interested in seeing them tonight. He didn't know what had gotten into them, usually no one bothered him or any of his friends, and they definitely thought twice before starting anything with Hermione, she was one fearless bitch when she wanted to be. But this year they'd been all over them, storming in on their parties, shouting slurs in the halls (yet always just out the range of teachers hearing) and he was pretty sure Ron had been sending things to Hermione. It was getting out of hand and Draco wasn't sure how much more he could take.

They seemed to have become complacent, for years they avoided him, afraid of what his father might do if provoked, but as they realised that Lucius wasn't going to do anything they'd gotten braver. Draco thought maybe it was time to remind them just whose son he was.

"Draco, stop it."

"I wasn't doing anything," he replied, shocked.

"Please I could practically hear the plotting, you're not to do anything to Harry or Ron."

"I wish you wouldn't call them that."

"That's their names, and maybe we should just be mature about this."

"Didn't you put a dung bomb in Potters bed with Ginny just last week?"

There was a pause and Draco knew he'd won.

"Fuck off," she mumbled, trying desperately to hide her smile, he could be such a prick sometimes.

The large grandfather clock behind them chimed, letting them know it was five in the afternoon. Hermione began gathering her books, and smoothing out her skirt; she'd changed up her uniform and was wearing a gray pinafore over her shirt and thick over the knee socks. Draco enjoyed this much better than the pencil skirt; it rode higher on her thighs.

"Where're you going?" he asked, hoping he could come with her.

"I'm going to get ready for the party with Ginny, so I'll see you there okay?" She was stood straightening her skirt, so she didn't see Draco rake his eyes appreciatively over her curvy frame. He couldn't wait to see her tonight, she was sure to show up the other girls.

"Yeah I suppose."

"Good, and, Draco," she said as she walked away, "do behave."

"Don't I always?" She just laughed and rolled her eyes. _No Draco, you never do_.

Ginny, it turned out, had a whole routine planned out, she was determined to make those girls who constantly laughed about her and Hermione behind their backs think twice before they did it again. They would be fucking stunning she was determined; she was also going to show off her tattoos a little.

"I can't believe you aren't going to the ball," Amber Noel, a girl in the year below Ginny with wide brown eyes, commented. Hermione never knew what to make of her, on the one hand she worshipped the ground Harry walked on, but on the other she was never overly horrible to them, she wasn't exactly nice of course.

"Please," Lavender scoffed, linking arms with the younger girl while shooting derisive looks to Hermione and Ginny. "They'd only stink up the place, they're better off here, alone." She laughed then, a high pitched keening that would put strangled birds to shame. Amber chuckled with her, shooting equally dirty glances at them before turning and following Lavender out the portrait hole to the ball.

"Fucking cunts the lot of them," Ginny muttered, before dragging Hermione up to the now empty dorm to begin the party preparations.

They were doing things the muggle way, since they had so much time to kill as the party didn't start for another three hours. Hermione managed to get her boom box working and blasted out her new CD she got off her parents for her birthday, Ginny had never heard of them but she had to admit the singer, Dave Grohl was pretty fucking hot.

In the three hours leading up to the party, they soaked their feet and applied face masks. They plucked eyebrows and waxed legs (which Ginny said she was never, _ever_ doing the muggle way again). Hair was curled, straightened or set into rollers. They tried on at least ten outfits each before finally deciding.

Finally, at ten to nine, legs moisturised and smooth, hair perfectly curled into soft rings, eyes smoky in a very 1950's siren style she loved so much, Hermione stood in front of the mirror admiring their handiwork, she was a knockout.

She ran her hands over her dress, it was a gorgeous grass green cotton, with little cap sleeves and a wide neckline that showed off her collarbones but didn't dip lower than that. The hem came to just above her knees falling straight, and she cinched it in with a darker green leather skinny belt at the waist. She smiled at her reflection, with her little white and green polka dot ankle socks and matching green court shoes tied at the front with silk ribbons she looked ridiculously sweet, but incredibly sexy. Her lips were a bright red, her eyes wide with only a slick of black eyeliner over the top lid. She couldn't wait for Draco to see her.

"Quit hogging the mirror, bitch." Ginny laughed, pushing Hermione out the way.

Whereas her friend had chosen to look all demure and cute, though how someone could look cute in five inch platforms she didn't know, Ginny had chosen an incredibly sexy and provocative look; it wasn't going to make the whispers any better.

She wore a black dress that stuck to her tiny frame and to her curves like a glove. It had a halter neck and went down to the middle of her thigh. The back dipped low however, down to her waist without being loose, exposing the large flower pattern that covered the whole of one shoulder blade, bright swirls of colour illuminated against her pale skin and dark dress. Her legs were bare save for red peep toe heels which exposed the four leaf clovers climbing over the top of her right foot. She'd left her arms bare for once, allowing everyone to see the swirls of words twisting over the inside of her left wrist and arm. Ginny had also re-added all of her piercings, Hermione thought she made a fearsome image, and was once again terribly glad they were friends.

"We are two hot bitches." Ginny sighed as she pulled her bright red hair into a high pony tail so it exposed her back and made her features appear sharper.

"Fuck, you'll scare everyone off."

"That's the plan, 'Mione, now come on or we'll be late."

"Like you care if we're late." Ginny rolled her eyes before dragging her friend down the stairs and out of the portrait hole, they got quite a few wolf whistles on their way out, which made them grin devilishly.

~H~

It had to be said, when Pansy threw a party, she didn't do it half way. The lights were low and the music was pumping, bodies were gyrating everywhere and the drink just kept on flowing. Hermione was pretty sure those were real bats flying above her head and Pansy had managed to convince the ghosts to put in an appearance every now and then. It was pretty amazing.

They pushed their way through the crowd, heads held high and generally not caring who they pissed off, until they reached Draco and Blaise sitting in a couple of arm chairs, the space around them showed how people avoided them, Hermione and Ginny could finally breathe.

"Hey, baby," Draco murmured, pulling Hermione so she sat in his lap, she could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"You started without me," she pouted.

"I know, darling, I know. But look," he reached behind him and pulled out a large bottle of Russian Standard.

"How the fuck did you get this Draco?" she asked gobsmacked as she cracked open the bottle and took a sip.

"I have my ways," was all he said, smiling as he watched her guzzle back the vodka. It always amazed him how much she could drink, if that was him he'd be gagging by now, but not Hermione.

They sat there for a while, simply watching the bodies move while they talked, shouting to be heard over the loud music. Occasionally Draco would surprise her and kiss her, rubbing himself into her, showing her just how much he liked their proximity.

"Hermione," Ginny slurred, obviously Blaise had fed her vodka too, "You wanna dance?"

Hermione nodded and the two girls jumped up and spun onto the dance floor. They moved their hips and shook their hair, hands above their heads and eyes shut, simply feeling the beat of the music pulse through them. Before too long Hermione felt hands on her hips and for a second she thought it was Draco, but it only took that second for her to realise that it wasn't.

She spun in the mystery man's arms before coming face to face with the freckled visage of Ron Weasley. Her heart sank to her stomach, and she wasn't at all surprised that she felt physically sick at having him touch her.

"If you value your life you'll move your fucking hands," she growled, not interested in playing his games.

"Oh come on 'Mione, you know you love it." His hands started creeping, one up to her breasts and one down to her arse

"It's not worth your life, Weasel," she hissed as she slapped his hands away, trying to push on his chest to get him away but found he was too strong for her.

"Babe, I see the way you look at me, how you blush when you get my notes, I know you want me." He leaned forward then, pulling her into him so she could smell his breath, she almost gagged it was so bad. "You want me to fuck you, to shove my rock hard cock into you so hard you can barely breathe. I know it, and babe, tonight is your lucky night." He smiled then, before dragging her off the dance floor.

She kicked and scratched and flailed about, but of course no one helped her, who would? They all hated her, thought she was a slag who enjoyed being taken advantage of. She never thought his notes would get this far. Since the beginning of the year he'd been leaving her notes, telling her he enjoyed what she wore that day or how he thought she was pretty. She just ignored it.

But then the notes got worse. They started getting graphic, telling her how he wanted to take her; violently. How just because she ignored him didn't mean he won't have her someday. She didn't blush when she got them; her face flamed up in anger. But still she didn't change how she acted. Was this what she got then? For being carefree and sure of herself? How could this be happening to her?

She tried to look for Draco, or anyone she knew so maybe they could help, but she saw no one. No one who could help her, to save her from this fucking prick. Maybe if she'd been sober she could have handled it, dealt with him like she usually would; a swift kick to the balls. But she was clumsy, uncoordinated; she'd lost one of her shoes.

They broke free of the dancers and he was leading her to the door, the exit to the room. Why hadn't anyone helped her? Everyone knew how much she hated Ron and Harry, shouldn't someone have done something. Her arms were hurting from trying to twist out of his grasp and her feet hurt from where people had stood on them. She kept trying to stand on his feet with her one pointed heel, maybe then he'd stop.

Maybe once they were out of the door she could make a run for it, get away from him and tell someone what was going on. She couldn't do that though, she never went to teachers for help; they were all fucking useless anyway.

Just as they reached the door, and Hermione was sure she wasn't being saved from him, Draco broke through the crowd. His fists were clenched at his sides and Hermione could see he was fuming. Before she could blink he was across to her and had his fist smashed into Ron's face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, wrapping his warm arms around her. She nodded, too shocked to really say anything.

Draco leaned down then, getting his face as close to Weasley's as he dared. He couldn't describe how afraid he'd been when he couldn't find her, when Ginny had run through to say Ron had her. He couldn't understand how she couldn't get away, Hermione, the toughest girl he knew besides Ginny. And when he'd seen her, being dragged by _him_, he'd completely lost his shit, he was surprised he'd only hit him once, though he supposed that was all that needed doing.

"Now you listen to me, fuckwit," he whispered so only Ron could hear. "If you ever come near her again, I swear to Merlin I will castrate you with a pair of Herbology sheers. Then when you're ball-less and weeping I'll crucio you till you're crazy. Do we understand each other?"

"Are you threatening me? I'm a prefect-" Ron spat, dabbing his nose to try and stop the bleeding

"You can bet your arse it's a promise if you lay a single hand on her, got it?"

The intensity of his stare had Ron shaking, but he nodded, gulping before quickly scrabbling up to run back to Harry. What a fucking pansy, Draco thought.

"Come on, sweetheart, I think the party's over." Hermione nodded wrapping herself into his arms and thanking Ginny when she handed her her shoe.

"Will you stay with me?" Hermione asked. She wanted to pretend she wasn't scared, that she had it all under control. But the fact was she didn't, and while she hated being anything other than completely self-sufficient, she knew she couldn't be alone.

"Of course," he kissed her head as they walked out of the room and into the corridors, pretending that it was all an act.

* * *

_Let me know what you think :)_


	9. It's Christmas Time

_Rewritten - 30/12/12_

* * *

After the disaster that was Halloween, when Pansy apologised profusely for Ron's actions, things settled down again. All was calm amongst the students, who were gearing up for the Christmas holidays.

Hermione had chosen to stay in the castle over Christmas, and though she would miss her parents she knew if she left she would miss Hogwarts more. Of course she told herself it was just the place she would miss, when really it was Draco.

His parents had chosen to go to Bimini for the winter, giving him no real choice as to whether to stay at Hogwarts or not. He couldn't say he minded, especially after discovering Hermione would also be staying. It would give him more time to win her over. He thought for sure he was in there at Halloween, as they'd shared a bed in his dorm. But all his heroics were for naught as she kept to her side of the bed and refused to even let him kiss her, just in case it 'gave him any ideas'. Like being in bed with her didn't?

So near the end of December, five days before Christmas day, Hermione was stood in the Entrance Hall saying goodbye to a very unhappy Ginny.

"I can't believe I have to go home, I'll have to see _him_ every bloody day!" she complained, stamping her foot like a child. Blaise laughed, but Hermione didn't, she understood how much Ginny hated her brother, Ron.

"It'll be fine, just owl me all the time, and try to come back early."

"I'll try. Fucking Weasleys. But at least I'll get to see Fred and George," she added as an afterthought. Ginny hadn't seen her older brothers in almost a year, since they set up their joke shop and left the house.

"Exactly, just look on the bright side." Hermione smiled sympathetically, she wished Ginny didn't have to go, she was her support for all things Draco, and she was slightly afraid of what she may do without her friend there to keep her sensible.

"Yeah, I suppose." Ginny smiled wickedly then. "And remember you; Don't. Let. Him. Fuck. You." She punctuated every word with a prod into Hermione's shoulder.

"Yes Ma'am," Hermione saluted, before giving Ginny a hug as she left, scowling at Ron in front of her. Hermione really hoped Ginny didn't kill him; it would be such a mess to sort out.

"Come on then, sweetheart, what're we going to do?" Draco asked from behind her, as he wrapped his arms around her waist to watch their friends disappear down the front steps.

"I honestly don't know," she replied, turning and managing to get out of his grasp at the same time. "Hogsmeade?"

Draco shrugged but agreed, they needed something to do after all.

"Just let me get my coat."

"I'll be waiting," he murmured, before scolding himself. _I'll be waiting, seriously Draco, what the fuck._ Finally she returned, wrapped in her large camel coloured, cape like coat. Hermione bought it for practicality, she never expected it to be considered sexy, not when it covered her whole body and was baggy to boot, but somehow Draco loved it. He enjoyed the way it swished around her and showed her tight covered legs off. All kinds, she supposed.

They took off into town, Hermione wrapped in her cape and Draco in his heavy winter cloak, she was determined to buy him a nice muggle winter coat, as the last one he had was demolished when he flew his broom into the womping willow. Sometimes it amazed her the similarities between her wizarding life and her muggle life. Back home with her parents, her friends wrapped cars around trees, here her friends wrapped broomsticks around them. Of course the main difference was that at Hogwarts, the tree fought back.

They continued walking while discussing school, mainly the apparent blossoming romance between their two most unlikely teachers.

"She must have taken a love potion, it's the only _sane_ explanation," Hermione professed.

"Please," Draco countered, moving to walk backwards in front of her. "She's obviously attracted to his devilish good looks."

"Ha ha, Draco, your sarcasm never fails to amuse me."

"Yeah, there's no way that's true. Are we even sure they're together?"

"Neville caught them in the greenhouse."

"Doing what?" Hermione raised her eyebrows, in a 'are you seriously asking me that?' fashion, "_Oh!_"

"Yeah."

"That's so sick."

"Hear me _not_ disagreeing with you." She rolled her eyes at his little disgusted face. He was so fucking adorable sometimes.

"How does that even happen, weren't they on opposing sides in the war?" Draco asked as they entered the village, moving to stand beside her and grabbing her gloved hand. Hermione smiled at the contact before answering.

"Yeah they were, but Snape was only a spy for Dumbledore remember. And he was all in love with Potters mum."

"Aye, the stuck up bitch."

"Draco!" She hit him lightly on his arm with the hand not currently connected to him, she wouldn't do anything to break the contact. "You can't say things like that about the dead, it's disrespectful."

"Pah, who cares? I suppose McGonagall is a better pick for him than Lily fucking Potter."

"Why? Because Lily was a muggle born witch?" Hermione asked, pretending to be affronted while putting on her angry face, trying desperately not to laugh at his shocked expression.

"No, 'course not, baby. You know I don't care about shit like that."

"You better not, Draco Malfoy." She scowled before towing him into The Three Broomsticks and ordering some butterbeers.

They sat in a quiet back corner of the pub, next to the roaring fire. Hermione always loved the smell of a good wood burning fire; it reminded her of her Grandma's farm. They sipped their drinks in silence, while Draco admired the way the firelight lit up Hermione's hair, before scolding himself for sounding like such a pussy.

"What're we going to do these next few weeks then?" Hermione finally asked, breaking the silence.

"I honestly don't know, but neither do I care, so long as I'm with you," he replied, smiling as she blushed slightly. He'd never seen her blush, it was refreshing.

"So how's the little ginger demon in disguise?"

"Crookshanks is fine, thanks for asking." Hermione laughed after taking a swig of butterbeer, Crookshanks had taken a quick dislike to all the other girls in her dorm, it was hilarious to watch him puff himself up and hiss at them. "He doesn't like many people, but he likes me. It was very sweet of you to get him for me."

"Yeah, well." Draco wasn't sure how to take being called 'sweet'. He coughed quickly before changing the subject. "Been keeping your knickers on lately?"

Hermione frowned, trying to keep her smile in. "Yes actually I have, it was a one off."

"Feeling frisky on your birthday?" he was smirking, enjoying watching her become flushed.

"Maybe."

They continued swigging their drinks in silence, watching the world go by in the quiet. Draco watched as Madame Rosmerta cleaned the bar top before walking round and bending to clean the tables. He became transfixed by the incredible cleavage revealed every time she bent forward. Hermione watched the world go by the window, as the snow started, coated the windowsill in its fall. She enjoyed the snow, how it made everything clean and hid all imperfections.

"Come on then, let's go to Honeydukes," Draco announced, placing his empty bottle on the table before wrapping his arm tight around Hermione's waist as they quick marched to the sweet shop across the street.

There were only two other people in the shop, a young first year who cringed as Draco and Hermione came tearing into the shop laughing and shaking snow from their hats, and a professor neither of them had had the pleasure of being taught by.

They held hands the whole way around the shop, both enjoying the simple intimacy of the moment, though neither of them wished to mention it. Draco was popping chocolate and sweet tasters into Hermione's mouth at every opportunity, if she didn't like it she would simply kiss him, effectively transferring the sweet into his mouth.

"Ahh, acid pops," Draco sighed as they came to the lolly-pop stand.

"I never understood how you could eat those; didn't you give one to Potter once?"

"Yeah," Draco sighed happily at the memory. "It burned a whole right through the little sod's tongue."

"So why do you eat them?"

"You just have to not suck them." Then Draco being Draco, realised where he could take this conversation, he leaned in close to Hermione, breathing heavily by her ear, "You have to _lick_ it, softly and quickly to just get the juice."

He smirked as he saw her grip the counter top, thinking he'd been so suave and sexy, of course he didn't expect to see her shoulders shaking in laughter.

"I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes as she calmed herself down. "But that was just too funny." She patted his cheek lightly before walking off the find some Pink Coconut Ice.

"Wha-Why was it funny?" he asked, trailing after her like a lost puppy. "I was trying to be sexy."

"But that's just it isn't it, you _tried_. You did not succeed."

"Oh you little witch," he grumbled, gripping her by the waist tightly as she reached the dark back corner of the store, hidden slightly from the desk clerk. "So you don't think I'm sexy?" he muttered into her ear, biting it softly and pulling her hips into him.

"No, not at all," she replied, though her voice had lost some of its strength.

"So you wouldn't enjoy this?" he asked, before leaning in and kissing the side of her neck that was exposed by her scarf, nipping the skin slightly between his teeth and delighting in the shiver that passed through her.

"N-no," she stammered, gripping the stand in front of her.

"You little liar," he whispered seductively, running his hands down her arms to rest upon hers. "But if you say so." And he pulled away, leaving Hermione gasping at the other end of the store.

_What on earth just happened?_ She thought as she quickly tried to gather herself. The boy, man though really, did such strange and yet wonderful things to her body. She'd never had anyone turn her on so much. She almost wished she'd gone home for Christmas, if only so she wouldn't be driven mad by his advances.

She quickly purchased her pink coconut ice, to which Draco made a face - he could never stand the stuff, before once again bracing the cold weather of the village with Draco by her side. They didn't hold hands as they walked back to the castle and to the warmth within.

As they stepped into the Entrance hall, their headmaster Professor Dumbledore materialised from an alcove. He was one of the few teachers in the school that Draco and Hermione enjoyed the company of. He wasn't as stuck up over rules as some, and he seemed to enjoy their alternative ways, as he once told them how he himself was a bit of a rebel 'back in the day'. So when he turned up both students smiled and greeted him warmly.

"Good afternoon you two, staying in the castle over Christmas I see?" As he spoke his long beard moved against the midnight blue of his robes, he reminded Hermione of a kindly grandfather.

"Well, I just thought I'd catch you to let you know there have been some complaints," he began.

"Complaints about what, sir?" Draco asked.

"Nothing too important, though I thought it best if perhaps I gave you 'the talk' instead of one of the other professors. Our Head Boy has been making some noise about your activities."

Hermione rolled her eyes; it was just typical that Potter would say something. He couldn't deal with anything himself, he always had to get someone bigger to fight his battles for him. It wasn't the first time he'd been to Dumbledore complaining about them, and as he was most teacher's pet he felt he had a direct in with the Headmaster. Little did he know the Headmaster wasn't all that fond of the little brown-noser.

"I know, Miss Granger, but I must say something."

"What's he said?" Draco asked before adding the sir, to seem more polite.

"The usual. Smoking, drinking, partying, the usual fun things for teenagers to do." His blue eyes twinkled mischievously behind his half-moon spectacles. "So why don't we just try to be a little less conspicuous?"

"Yes, sir," they replied, before bidding good day to their professor and high tailing it to the room of requirement.

Once there Draco proceeded to throw himself into one of the large armchairs and begin his rant. Hermione meanwhile tuned him out while removing her coat, hat, scarf and gloves. She found it was best to ignore him when he got into a mood like that, eventually he'd wear himself out.

"I mean, they can't just do that! You think he'd be over it all by now don't you think?" he finally finished.

"No I don't think he would, 'cause he's a fucking idiot, Draco. Just forget it." she replied, curling into the adjacent armchair and pulling out her latest book.

"But he can't keep doing this! He needs someone to teach him a bloody lesson."

"Shut the fuck up, Draco." With a scowl his way she poured herself back into the book, ignoring Draco's huffing and shifting as he removed his coat. That boy could be such a flipping woman she almost couldn't believe she was attracted to him sometimes.

"Don't you have a cat to feed?" he asked, once again interrupting her reading. But he was just so bored and wound up, and she was just sat there in her little dress, her lips pouted as she read what was probably another dirty novel. It was bloody distracting.

"Not right now."

"Well what do you want to do?"

"I'm reading, leave me alone and do something yourself."

"But I'm _bored!_" he whined. Hermione scowled, slammed her book shut and stood up. _Uh-oh_. Draco gulped, sure he was about to be on the receiving end of a knee to the balls. What he didn't expect was her to climb into his lap and begin kissing his neck.

"Herm-what are you-oh, God that feels good."

She was nipping his neck with her teeth while her hands ran through his hair, his hands were still floating in midair before he got over his shock and placed them on her hips.

"Shut the fuck _up_, Draco, and enjoy it."

Hermione was going no further than kisses, she thought. But if doing this meant he wasn't bored and would leave her alone for a while, well that was a price she was willing to pay. Especially when his hands felt so good running over her thighs. How was she supposed to get through two weeks of them being alone together, and _not_ shag him?

* * *

_Let me know what you think :)_


	10. Christmas: The Aftermath

_Rewritten - 30/12/12_

* * *

Christmas was one massive fuck up for Ginevra Weasley. She hated having to spend two weeks tucked up in that tiny house with all of her brothers. Why couldn't her parents have had another daughter? It would take her days to wash the smell of boy out of her hair.

Then there was her Mother! Merlin's balls, she could do with pulling the stick out of her arse.

"_I don't like your tattoos, Ginny, here let me remove them."_

"_Why do you insist on putting holes into yourself?"_

"_How do you ever expect to get a respectable husband with the way you act and dress?"_

"_You're still seeing that filthy Blaise boy, do you have any idea what Ron and Harry told me about him?"_

"_Don't get me started on that little harlot you hang around with, Ginevra, Hermione is it?" _

Were only a few of the comments she'd had to put up with. And of course bloody Potter was hanging around over the holiday because he didn't have any family of his own, the little blighter. He insisted on cornering her at every opportunity and 'intimidating' her, and to be frank he wasn't very good at it. He was just too sweet looking, he didn't scare her at all, and they were the same bloody height, so how intimidating could he be?

The highlight of her holiday had been watching Fred and George hex Potter at ever opportune moment, and teasing Ron on his lack of experience with the opposite sex. Oh, and when Blaise came to visit. He'd been making such an effort lately with her, he was making a real go of their relationship; it was nice. Though she almost missed the arguments, the fire, and passion in their relationship followed, of course, by the making up.

After meeting up with Blaise in the Entrance Hall all she'd really wanted was to follow him back to his dorm, but she hadn't heard from Hermione for two weeks, so instead of having the funk fucked out of her, she found herself racing up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room, determined to find out all the sordid details of her best friends Christmas with her would be lover.

~H~

As Ginny went one way, Blaise went the other. His holiday had been uneventful. His mother felt he'd found a decent match in Ginny as "at least she's a pure-blood," and really she couldn't give a shit what he did with his time. His Daddy of the moment tried being all chummy, asking him about sports and his classes, what he did in his free time. But Blaise felt no need to humour him, knowing his mother, Daddy number fifteen would be dead or crying on the doorstep soon enough.

But he, like Ginny, hadn't heard from Draco for the whole holiday. This wasn't exactly unusual of course, but he'd never been stuck in the castle on his own with the love of his life before. Of course, Blaise knew Draco was in love with Hermione, he was just too dim and proud to recognise it himself. But damn it, if his mate hadn't shagged the life out of that vixen yet, Blaise would simply _have_ to intervene.

He found his friend in the seventh year Slytherin dorm room, leaning out the window smoking a fag. Blaise knew just what he was looking at, the love struck twat.

"Nice view?" he asked, dumping his bag loudly on the stone floor and relishing watching his mate jump out of his skin.

"Aye, it's not bad," Draco mumbled, stubbing out his cigarette before pushing the hair back from his eyes. He needed a haircut.

"Have a good Christmas?" he asked, sitting on his bed as he waited for Blaise to unpack.

The dark skinned boy simply shot him a look of disbelief as he shook his head, continuing to unpack. "Seriously, mate, you're asking me how _my_ holiday went? Nah, I wanna hear about yours."

"Not much to tell," Draco lied, lying back on the bed with a smirk on his face.

Blaise rolled his eyes and sat on the bed opposite. "Bollocks."

~H~

"So come on!" Ginny whined from her spot on the third floor bathroom's floor. Hermione had chased Moaning Myrtle out so they could smoke and drink in peace.

"There's nothing to tell."

"Absolute bollocks. You can't tell me you were here for two fucking weeks on your own with that walking sex muffin and nothing happened."

"Walking sex muffin?" Hermione giggled, she was going to tell Draco that one. She'd missed this over the holiday, just spending time with Ginny, laughing about nothing.

"Yeah, whatever, bitch. Just come on! I'm dying of anticipation over here!" Ginny scrunched her face up into a pout, she knew her friend couldn't hold out much longer, and from the slight blush on Hermione's cheeks something had definitely happened.

"You didn't sleep with him did you?" she asked with a slight scowl.

"No I didn't fuck him, but even if I did there's no need to pull that face." Hermione slapped her friends arm before taking another drag on her tab; she was still working through the hash Neville had gotten her.

"Yeah, but I thought you were going to hang in there, you know?"

"And I am. I'm telling you I didn't fuck him."

Now Ginny was confused. If she didn't fuck him, what was there to hide?

"So what did you do?"

~H~

"I don't get it," Blaise exclaimed. "You're always boasting about what girls have been riding you and now you're keeping schtum, why?"

"Man, there's nothing to be keeping schtum about. Nothing happened."

"Please, I don't believe that you were in this castle, basically alone for two flipping weeks and you didn't at least _try_ to fuck her?" He couldn't get over it, the Draco he knew would be boasting by now about his conquests. The only reason he wouldn't would be if she didn't put out. But Blaise knew his mates, and he knew how attracted they were to each other. No way did they not fuck around.

"Of course I tried. Doesn't mean I succeeded." Draco sighed.

"But, if you didn't fuck her. What the hell did you do?"

~H~

"_Draco should we be doing this?"_

"_Come on, don't tell me you're scared of breaking some rules?"_

"_It's Snape's fucking closet, we shouldn't be in here."_

"_It's never stopped you before."_

"_He's never been sleeping in the next bloody room!"_

"_Hey! Keep your voice down okay, he'll wake up otherwise."_

…

"_Don't look at me like that."_

"_Draco Malfoy, I'll look at you however the fuck I want, now get us the hell out of here."_

…

"_What're you doing?"_

"_What's it look like?"_

"_It looks like you're struggling to open my buttons."_

"_Well it would go a lot quicker if you helped wouldn't it?"_

_-thump-_

"_Fuck! Draco, now what?"_

"_Ignore it. Kiss me again."_

…

…

…

"_Can we please get out of here?"_

"_But we're just getting into it."_

"_We have the whole two weeks, why rush it?"_

"_But it's quiet in here."_

_-gasps-_

"_The castles…completely…empty - Draco get off - Just take me to the room of requirement."_

"_Fine, come on."_

~H~

"We didn't do a lot really. Just homework."

"Homework?" Ginny looked wide eyed at her friend.

"What? We did, I'm telling the truth."

"Bollocks!" All heads turned in their direction in the Great Hall at Ginny's outburst. She took no notice of it though, no way did they do nothing - not if Hermione's glances across the hall to a certain blonde haired Slytherin's table was anything to go by. "You do realise you're completely hopeless?"

Hermione was shocked from her voyeurism. She loved watching when he didn't know. Loved watching him brush the hair back from his face, or laugh with Blaise and Theo. She wondered if he told anyone.

"How am I hopeless?"

The look she was sent held all the answers. She was completely and hopelessly screwed.

"Shut the fuck up, Gin. Come on we'll be late for class."

~H~

"She's looking at you again, mate."

"Yeah she usually does."

Blaise laughed with Theo, though mostly because Draco had noticed Hermione watching him. He wondered if she realised Draco watched her as soon as her eyes turned back to Ginny. Maybe he should get together with her to find out what exactly was going on between these two.

"So I didn't see you last night," Theo began, shoving another helping of eggs into his mouth before continuing. "Did you and Hermione ever play that game of hide the sausage?"

Draco simply cocked his eyebrow at his friend. "Hide the sausage? Really?" Theo nodded, the biggest shit eating grin on his face. Draco sighed, "No I didn't."

"Bollocks!" His choking friend exclaimed as he managed to breathe again. "Why not?"

"Just didn't happen."

"No. Fucking. Way. That girl was dying to let you into her knickers, no way she turned you down."

Draco scoffed as he stood up. "How do you know it wasn't me who turned her down?" he asked before stalking out of the hall after Hermione.

Blaise and Theo shared a look of pure incredulity, "Bollocks!" they chimed.

~H~

_There was a shuffle coming from the closet. Followed by a bang and copious amounts of swearing before two bedraggled students tumbled out, one after the other. The girl's hair was a mass of curls, spiraling this way and that as though it had been pulled, while her shirt was completely unbuttoned, showing an electric blue bra between the red material. Her skirt was hiked up to the top of her thighs and she pulled it down before patting down her hair._

_She turned laughing to the boy, who had a matching grin on his flushed face. His blonde hair wasn't in such a state, being so light it took only a hand through it to settle it. But his shirt was clutched in his hands, nearly all the buttons ripped off, and his jeans hanged somewhere around his knees._

"_Fuck, 'Mione." He sighed, the biggest smile on his face._

"_Yeah," she agreed, leaning against the wall to catch her breath._

"_You know at some point we're going to have to end up in a bed?"_

"_I sincerely doubt it, Draco."_

_Together the students laughed, the boy chasing the curly haired girl up the stairs before the yslipped into a door that was not there before they came. Their laughter and sensual sighs following behind them._

_And just as the door shut the girls voice was heard shouting in happiness, "Now get over here and fucking kiss me, Draco Malfoy!" _

~H~

Blaise had been trying to get some information about the break from Draco all day, and now in his last lesson of the day he'd gotten sick and was trying another approach. He'd simply ask Hermione.

"So, Hermione."

"Hello, Blaise," she murmured, concentrating on the notes she was taking as the teacher spoke. She wasn't usually so diligent, choosing instead to do all work after in the library, but she knew what Blaise was going to ask, and she needed to be as distracted as possible to not give anything away.

"So did you have a nice holiday?" he asked, starting easy, though to Hermione it was ridiculously obvious.

"Yes it was wonderful thanks, how about yours? Your Mam kill her husband yet?"

"Not yet, but it's only January."

They laughed but both knew it was partially forced; this was getting ridiculous Hermione thought. "Look, I know what you're going to ask. And the answer's no." At her words his face fell.

"Really?"

"Really." She smiled slightly before turning back to her work, smirking as Blaise frowned and went back to his own desk.

~H~

"Hey. No lessons either huh?" Ginny asked, sitting on the cold stone bench next to Draco.

"Obviously not, Carrot-Top, otherwise I'd be there wouldn't I?" _She must think I'm stupid_, Draco thought. He knew why Ginny had sidled up to him, and it wasn't 'just to chat', as she'd like him to believe.

The conversation started off slowly, he stuck to one word answers, in the hope that she'd get the point. They both knew why she was there. Draco thought it was pathetic how obvious their friends were being, he was tempted to spill just to put himself out of the firing line.

"So…did nothing happen between you and Hermione?" Ginny finally asked, sick of his short answers and pointed glances.

"Yep. Nothing at all."

"Really?"

"Really." Draco smirked as she walked off, frowning as she went. Maybe Hermione's plan wasn't so bad after all.

~H~

"_We can't tell them you know?" she said, stroking his face from her spot under him. They'd finally found a bed._

"_Why not? You ashamed of me?"_

"_Of course not," she began, shifting slightly and smirking as he hissed in pleasure. "But you know what they're like, and I'd just like to keep this to ourselves for a little while."_

_He frowned; he didn't like being kept hidden, like some dirty little secret. But he had to admit she was a lot cleverer than him, so he supposed he should just go with it. _

"_Okay. But you know if this is a secret it's going to be a lot more difficult to get together like this?" As he spoke he shifted, pressing himself into her more._

_She gasped, how was he hard again already? Her teeth bit into her bottom lip in response, trying to stifle the moans rising in her throat. They were having a conversation!_

"_We'll just have to be extra sneaky." She leaned up and rubbed her nose against his. It was the little gestures such as that that were unnerving him. This wasn't like anything he'd ever dealt with before. It was more than just a fling, and he wasn't sure how to deal with it._

"_I suppose we will. Now where were we?"_

_Then the talking dissolved into sighs and gasps as they moved together. Fingers scraped over skin and breath hissed out between teeth. Lips met in fevered kisses and skin became damp with their shared desire. _

~H~

"I'll see you there, okay?" Hermione stopped on the landing before the room, it was the first time they were all getting together since everyone had gotten back to the castle, and though she was excited to see everyone, there was something she had to do first.

Her friend looked at her strangely but conceded. "Sure, whatever."

Checking to make sure no one was around, Hermione ducked quickly behind a large tapestry of the gnome revolution, and into a hidden corridor. Before she could fully close the tapestry behind her she was dragged into the darkness by a phantom arm.

"Draco," she sighed as she was crushed against the wall and hot lips claimed her own. God she'd missed him. Had it only been a day since they'd last been with each other.

"I've missed you," he murmured against her lips, mirroring her own thoughts, pressing his hips into hers to show her just how much.

"Me too, but we need to go. They're waiting for us."

He sighed, resting his forehead against her shoulder, as she wrapped her arms around him. She kissed his hair softly, she knew how he felt; all she wanted was to spend the night wrapped in his arms.

"Come on." He sighed but complied and hand in hand they walked down the corridor to the room to join their friends. Dropping hands and sharing a sad look before walking in. This was going to be difficult.

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_Let me know what you think :)_


	11. The Bet

**HELLO!**

**I'M BACK!**

**You might be interested to know that I did in fact win NaNoWriMo, go me! you can read more at my blog: http:/ rebeccaleonardsmusings(dot)wordpress(dot)com Teasers will be going up there too if you want to check them out :)**

**So this is a little shorted than the last chapter, but I do have somewhere to go with this now! YAY!**

**Anyway, hope you like it, I got this out as quickly as I could as I think chloesfire was getting a little apprehensive =P**

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"I hope you know this is all your fault Draco."

"Oh come on Hermione, you loved it."

She glared at him from her spot at the desk in the otherwise empty classroom, but didn't deny it. How could she? He'd been well and truly feeling her up in class, she was so close to getting off before their charms teacher, Professor Flitwick, had finally taken notice and put them both in detention.

Hermione didn't know she had such exhibitionist tendencies until then.

"See I knew you did." Draco was smiling smugly as he lounged casually at his desk. Detention didn't really bother him, it wasn't a week at Hogwarts unless he was staying back behind class for some reason or another. But he did feel a little bad for getting Hermione into trouble. He couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten a detention, he knew people had tried but she usually managed to weasel her way out of it. But these last three weeks they'd received three detentions in the three weeks since the term had started. It turns out keeping things secret proved to be not as simple as Hermione first thought it would be.

Their friends were completely oblivious. In their presence Hermione and Draco continued with the harmless flirting that had gotten them into this situation in the first place, and the banter that had passed between the two continued as normal. The problem lay in them. They had repressed their feelings for seemingly such a long time, neither knew what to expect when those flood gates opened. As it turned out they were incredibly passionate people, and to be completely honest, couldn't keep their filthy hands off each other.

Falling out of broom cupboards, climbing to the top of the Quidditch stands, getting off down by the lake, sneaking in to the room of requirement before everyone else showed up. It was getting more and more difficult to keep things quiet, but they just knew if they told anyone their friends would be all up in their faces. They would want all the details and it wouldn't simply Draco and Hermiones relationship anymore, it would be some sort of communal thing. Plus it made them feel incredibly naughty to be keeping it a secret.

Hermione had to admit she liked how things had been progressing lately. It was just like before really, they had semi-meaningful conversations, they flirted just like normal, the only difference now was they also had sex. She wished she could tell Ginny though. Draco had been a little off in the last week and she wasn't sure what that meant. It was as though they only really saw each other when he wanted to have sex with her, and Hermione was not about to be used. But she also didn't want to say anything, she didn't want to spoil what they had, not when she'd waited so long for it to happen.

It was a worry of hers, however, that maybe she rushed into it. After all they'd only been back at school for a short while, and her plan had been to make him work for it. But really she spread her legs as soon as he asked, it made her feel a little cheap, which was not a feeling she was used to. She just needed to get the power back, that was all.

"I hope you know that it'll be a cold fucking day in Hell when you get your hands back in my knickers, Draco!"

"Oh please, like you could honestly resist this," he said, motioning with his hand down his spread out body. Hermione had to admit it was a splendid sight, "For longer than a few days."

"Is that a challenge? You think I can't resist you?"

"'Course you can't, 'Mione. But it's nothing to be ashamed about, love." Draco knew how much Hermione hated being condescended to, but it was just too funny to watch her get all riled up.

"Fine, you're on."

"Wait, what?"

"No touches, kisses, and definitely no fucking, for two weeks."

"Two weeks!"

His eyes and mouth were wide with shock, he should've known not to mess with Hermione. After all she was the most determined witch he knew. He pouted, rolling his wand along the desk. He thought it was a little silly how Flitwick had left them their wands, after all Hermione was known for hexing people on occasion, for barely any reason at all. He tapped the end on the edge of his desk, watching as purple sparks flew out the end of it.

"One week?" He offered, dropping his head when she simply smiled sadistically and shook her head. No way was she letting him get his own way this time.

"Ten days?"

"No Draco, I'm sorry. You're just going to have to satisfy your own needs for a while."

He huffed and crossed his arms, scowling into his desk. Hermione was smiling, this was just the ticket she needed to get them back on even footing. Draco could be denied for a while, something she knew he wasn't used to, and then everything would be better. She hoped anyway.

"Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy. What are you still doing here?" The short and stout Professor Flitwick waddled into the room, his deep green robes flying around behind him. Hermione thought all he needed was bright ginger hair and he would make the perfect leprechaun.

"You put us in detention Professor," Draco replied sarcastically. How dim was the little dwarf? He thought.

"Yes, but detention finished half an hour ago. Now go on, enjoy your weekend. And for Merlin's sake don't let me catch you doing that in my classroom again."

The two pupils smirked and nodded, standing up quickly from their desks and clasping hands as they ran out of the classroom. They were late for the meet-up, and Hermione was determined to get as much torture in for Draco as possible.

"Does this count in the bet?" Draco asked, as they walked hand in hand down the fourth floor corridor.

"Of course not, friends can hold hands, it's hardly a romantic gesture." He scowled and nodded, knowing she was right. Merlin he hated this bet.

"We should talk about the stakes."

"I suppose, what do you want if you win?" She asked.

"You, alone, in my dorm room, for a whole weekend."

"Draco you share your dorm with other boys."

"I don't care, we'll make them leave, I just know that I want you just for myself for two whole days."

"Fine," she smiled, it was a win, win situation there, "If I win, I want to tell everyone about us."

Draco was floored, and nearly tripped from how shocked he was. It had been Hermiones idea to keep this a secret, and now she wanted to tell everyone? Draco wasn't sure if he was ready for that. Though he couldn't say why exactly. He just knew that the idea of everyone knowing about him and Hermione, was an incredibly scary prospect.

"Really?" He asked, hoping she was just joking.

"Of course, I'm getting a little sick of keeping you a secret," she replied. Though the idea of all their friends knowing about them was scary, she was sick of seeing all the girls mooning over Draco. She realised that it wasn't their fault, Draco was probably the most handsome boy at the school, plus he was a sort of outcast, and it wasn't like they knew he was taken. But she still didn't like it, and wanted nothing more than to stake her claim to him.

Draco on the other hand knew he had to win this bet. The idea of the whole school knowing about them, because the whole school _would_ know about them as soon as Pansy found out, was terrifying. He would just have to put his best foot forward and make Hermione break.

"Alright then darling, two weeks. But you know you're going to break long before then?"

"Whatever you say Draco," she said, smiling sweetly.

Hermione kissed Draco lightly on the cheek before running quickly up to her dorm room to get changed. They were already late, she didn't think another fifteen minutes or so would make any sort of difference.

She barrelled quickly through the portrait hole and into the common room, receiving scathing glares from Lavender and Parvati. Hermione didn't get those girls, they didn't even know her, they simply went along with Potter and Weasley. She simply rolled her eyes and hopped quickly up the stairs to the seventh year girls dorm room.

She stripped off quickly and dressed in her new long sleeved purple dress her Mum had sent her. It was a little different to what she'd usually wear, but it would certainly keep her warm in the cold stone walls of the castle. Before she could leave however she found herself surrounded by the group of girls that had been in the common room. Weren't they a bit old for ganging up on people? She thought.

"What?" She asked, sharply, placing a hand on her hip and raising herself to her full height. No way would she be intimidated by those girls.

"Just wondering what you were up to," said Lavender, her lips almost sticking together from the amount of gloss she'd smeared on them.

"That's none of your business now is it?"

"Don't you want to hang out with us?" Parvati tittered behind Lavender, as though Hermione would lower herself to their standards.

"I don't think so, now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be." She worked her way around them, heading towards the doorway.

"Shagging half of Slytherin house no doubt."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" While it was no secret that Hermione had, had a fairly promiscuous sixth year, she didn't like people bringing it up in that tone of voice. She wasn't ashamed of what she did, on the contrary she enjoyed it very much.

"Come on Hermione, everyone knows you're the biggest whore in this place. Why do you think Draco Malfoy hangs around with you?"

"You wanna back off Lavender, and watch what you're saying."

"Why? It's not like it's a secret. Everyone knows he's only with you to get a piece of the easiest girl in this place."

"Draco and I are not together, and even if we were that would be none of your business." Her voice was cold and clipped, Lavender was just being mean, she couldn't know that it was Hermiones one insecurity she was bringing to the fore.

"Whatever, he'll get bored of you eventually. After all, you're just a used up slag, he'll come to his senses, then he'll find someone who can really see to his needs, instead of being just a hole he can shove his dick in."

Before the final words were out of her mouth Hermione had flew across the room. She wasn't one to get emotional, but she was always one to get physical. And hearing Lavender talk about her like that, it was the final straw. Hermiones wand was out and pointed straight at Lavenders throat, it was only her rational mind that was keeping Hermione from hexing her to oblivion.

"You wouldn't dare," Lavender scoffed, though her voice was just a little more high pitched from fear than normal.

"No, you're not worth it," Hermione said, lowing her wand.

"You're just a coward."

There was a soft thud as Hermiones fist connected solidly with Lavenders jaw, then the second which broke her nose.

"And you're just a bitch, go figure."

She didn't stay to see the other girls babbling over their collapsed, crying friend. With her wand still gripped tightly in her hand she marched to the room of requirement, striding straight through and grabbing the bottle of fire whisky from Ginny and the tab from Pansy.

"Hermione, what the fuck happened to your hand?" Ginny exclaimed, dragging Hermione down to the bean bag next to her to inspect the damage. She wasn't a mediwitch but even she could see that Hermiones knuckle was broken.

"Jesus, who'd you punch out?" Theo asked.

Hermione gasped as she released the bottle from her mouth, "Lavender Brown," she said, before taking a deep drag from the weed.

Draco was sat next to her, his body heat radiating into her and she felt comforted. But he still hadn't said anything, hadn't asked if she was okay. All she could think about was, what if Lavender was right? What if he'd just heard the stories from last year and wanted a piece of her? What if he just wanted to see if any of the stories were true? She'd heard them, she knew what people said about her. But she wanted Draco for more than that, for more than just sex, but she had been given no word that Draco felt the same.

"Come on," Draco murmured into her ear, pulling her hand softly into his lap and grabbing his wand from his pocket, "_Episky_," he spoke softly, pointing his wand at her broken knuckles. She winced as the bones melded back together, but smiled as he kissed them softly.

"All better," he whispered, and she smiled, taking another drink from the whisky.

"Right come on then!" Ginny shouted, clapping her hands enthusiastically, "Hermione obviously needs to get thoroughly plowed and after the week I've had, so do I."

Hermione laughed, knowing it was going to be a very good night, as she tried to put all thought of Lavender and her worries about Draco from her mind.

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_Let me know what you think won't you :)_

_Next Chapter we see some more fun :)_


	12. Playing With Newts

**DEAR GOD!**

**Right it's done lmao.**

**I have been working on this for so fucking long, it's seriously been taking the piss xD.**

**I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, and I hope you have an even better New Year.**

**There's a little bit of silliness for you :)**

**Hope you like it.**

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"I can't believe we're doing this Gin."

"Shut the fuck up 'Mione, and hand me the newts."

"I don't want to."

"Hermione, don't make me hurt you. Not right now."

"But look at them! With their little faces. I can't put them in there, it's horrible."

"They're not going to get hurt."

"It's fucking Potter and Weasel, of course they're going to get hurt."

"Will you two be quiet, please. Merlins beard, you're annoying when you're stoned."

"But Neville, look at their little faces."

Hermiones wide eyes were mirrored by the two small, green newts she held up to Nevilles wand light. She much preferred putting stink bombs in their beds, not live animals.

"Yes, yes, simply adorable," Ginny rolled her eyes at her inebriated friend, "Now can we just get on with it?"

"No! I won't let you hurt them!" Hermione stood, newts in tow and sprinted, rather lop sided back down the boys dorm room stairs and into the common room. Of course once she got there, she wasn't exactly sure what to do with the little creatures.

"Shit, fuckity-fuck!" She rambled on and on, spinning in tiny circles, getting a little distracted by the way her purple skirt twirled around her, before returning to the issue at hand.

Hermione had a moment of clarity as she ran for the portrait hole, tiny newts in hand, to wonder just how wrecked she was. The earlier part of the night, before they'd decided what a good idea it would be to steal newts from Hagrid, the groundskeeper, was all a blur. She just about had a recollection of walking back from detention with Draco and the confrontation with Lavender, before the night went to shit.

God, she shouldn't drink and smoke weed at the same time anymore, it only led to fucked up shit!

"Hermione!" Feet stomped behind her, the tell tale clomp of Ginnys dragon skinned boots, "You get your arse back here!"

"Never!"

"Fucking Hell 'Mione!" Apparently Neville had joined in the chase. Hermione wondered where the rest were, as she was sure everyone had been in the room of requirement before they'd embarked on their strange mission, but right then she had no idea where anyone else was.

"We're gunna be in such a massive pile of shit for this!"

Hermione just laughed. God she felt so fucking good. She wasn't sure she'd ever had this much fun in her whole life, but she knew she never wanted it to end. She wished life could always be like this.

Her laughter was making it difficult to run as her breath gasped out, she had a massive stitch in her side and she was so scared of dropping her little newts. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with them, all she knew was she couldn't let Potter and Weasley hurt them.

Quickly she ran behind a large floor to ceiling tapestry, concealing a hidden corridor that linked the corridors leading to the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw towers. Once out of the darkness she turned right and continued running. She didn't even know where she was going, at first she'd hoped to loop back to the room of requirement but she was much too far away now for that to be feasible. So instead she kept running, hoping that eventually Ginny would simply get tired and leave her alone.

"_Fuck!_" She screamed, as suddenly two large hands reached out and grabbed her around her waist, pulling her into the cupboard from whence they came. She struggled frantically, having no clue who was clinging to her, but worried for her little newts.

"_Lumos_," the voice murmured. A voice she knew very well.

"Draco?"

"No, it's fucking Hagrid. Jesus 'Mione, for the brightest witch in our class you aren't half thick sometimes."

Hermione rolled her eyes, staring into his silvery eyes. Merlin, they were distracting. He looked so fucking hot in the dim light from his wand. His hair was dishevelled and his shirt rumpled. He looked thoroughly shagged, save for the tense look to his face. Hermione knew something that would relax him.

The little newts were moving relentlessly in her hands, bringing her sharply from her Draco induced daze. The smirk fell from her face and she looked worriedly down at the two little creatures, opening her palms and watching as they swung about before facing her. Their little eyes were wide, and she fell in love all over again. How could Ginny ever think of hurting the poor little things?

"What're those, newts?" Draco asked, frowning at Hermione mooning over the little creatures.

"This is Bill," she answered, holding up the newt in her right hand, "and this is Ben." This time the left hand.

Draco frowned, wondering if she'd finally just lost it. He knew all that weed she smoked would eventually catch up to her, but this was just odd. He'd never seen her so enamoured with something, then again she did get a little moony over that damn cat he gave her. The flat face fucker still didn't like him. The little git.

"What?" He finally asked, frowning as her golden eyes looked so sad. What on earth had she been doing since leaving the room of requirement?

"Ginny wanted to put them in Potter and Weasleys beds. The poor little things would have been crushed. I couldn't let it happen Draco."

"You're serious?"

"Of course! Look at their little faces Draco!" She thrust them up under his nose, so he found himself staring into two sets of rather forlorn looking newt eyes. He had to admit they were pretty damn cute.

"Right," he said. He figured the best he could do was agree with her and get her to go back to the room, being in a small cupboard with her really wasn't helping her control.

She'd looked so sad when she'd met back up with everyone, she may have acted all pissed off at Lavender, but Draco could see underneath she was just upset. Obviously whatever they'd said hadn't sat well with them. It had been so difficult keeping a distance from her, Hermione had said that to win the bet they couldn't do anything just friends wouldn't, and he'd tried his hardest to come up with new and inventive ways of getting his hands on her, but had always been shot down. These next two weeks were sure to be the slowest of his life.

"Come on sweetheart, I reckon it's time you got to bed, don't you think?"

Hermione nodded distractedly at him, allowing Draco to lead her from the cupboard and down the hallways to the room of requirement. She didn't take any notice, though she did pause to thank Merlin they didn't wander into any of the patrolling prefects. Her eyes were glued to the little creatures in her hands, she wasn't sure what she was going to do with them now she'd saved them. She figured she'd need a tank of some sorts, and hoped the room could supply them when they arrived.

Draco simply watched her in awed silence. She was an odd girl sometimes. She could be the sexiest thing he'd ever seen, and then the most silly barely a moment apart. Though he had to admit she was always the sexiest woman in the room, to him anyway. She weaved all over the place, and Draco scolded himself for taking more notice of how much she was drinking. She would have a killer hangover the next day, and they'd ran out of Blaise's cure, so they'd have to suffer through it the muggle way. Merlin forbid.

Finally they arrived at the blank stretch of wall, and Draco warily left Hermione stood shakily in the middle of the corridor while he passed three times over it, until a large oak door appeared. He once again collected her, wrapping a tight hand around her arm and led her into the fire lit room.

Ginny and Neville had returned, and, along with everyone else, were passed out on beds and sofas. As they walked towards the bed in the far corner, Draco watched as a large glass bowl appeared on the table they passed. It had a large silver screw on lid with air holes punched in the top. Obviously that was for Hermiones newts.

"'Mione," he whispered, careful not to wake anyone up. When she turned bleary eyes to him he pointed to the bowl. Her face broke into the biggest smile and she walked carefully over to place her newts softly into it.

"Sleep well, little newts." Her smile was wide when she turned back to Draco, grabbing his hand and leading him back to the bed, once there she looked a little put out, turning back to Draco with the most defeated look on her face.

"I wish you could stay with me," she murmured, playing idly with the buttons of his shirt, "But just think, once you lose the bet, you can!"

That said she crawled quickly through the curtains surrounding the bed, pulling them tightly shut. There was no chance of Draco getting a free show tonight. He sulked thinking of that for a moment, before climbing into his own bed.

While the idea of being able to share a bed with her, like Ginny and Blaise, and being able to freely hold her hand in the corridors was something he wished for, he couldn't deny that the idea of coming out about their relationship filled him with trepidation. He wasn't even sure why it made him so nervous, he just knew that for some reason, he didn't want it happening.

Shaking his head he crawled under the covers, trying to put all thoughts of their bet out of his mind, as he focused on the feel of her body underneath his, before falling into a peaceful sleep.

**~HP~**

"Bugger off Myrtle!" Ginny shouted, banging the stall door loudly, sending the young ghost girl rattling down the U-bend.

Hermione jumped up to sit on the window sill, pulling the joint from between her breasts and lighting it with the tip of her wand. She'd had a hectic week, potions classes were kicking up a notch and if she ever wanted to become a healer she needed to get top marks in classes now. Which was proving to be difficult when she has Draco Malfoy sitting at the cauldron next to her.

He was determined for her to lose this bet, but she wasn't entirely sure why. Surely no matter who won it would be a win-win situation. Why would he be so against everyone finding out about them?

It was a thought that nagged at her ever since the little confrontation with Lavender the previous week. Hermione didn't have many insecurities. She may not be the slimmest of girls, but she had curves and she knew how to work them. Her hair was shiny and smooth, and her eyes were bright, lined with thick lashes. She was smart too, and knew how to have a good time. Yet the one thing she worried about, was that she wouldn't be enough for Draco Malfoy.

She'd seen the girls he'd been around with, and knew how long his relationships usually lasted, which was generally as long as it took for the girl to spread her legs a few times. She simply couldn't shake the thought that she was going to become just another, in a long line of conquests for him.

The whole thing was ridiculous of course, Hermione was a great catch and Draco was lucky she was giving him the time of day. But she wasn't sure if Draco knew that.

It was lunchtime, and Ginny and Hermione had managed to sweet talk some of the elves in the kitchen into making them some sandwiches to take away. So, in the deserted bathroom, they munched on sandwiches while getting gloriously high. The afternoons classes were sure to go by quickly.

"Fuckin' Romilda. She's such a fucking cow!" Ginny exclaimed, marching around the room. Hermione watched on in quiet amusement as her friend became more and more irate.

"What's she done this time Gin?"

"Right, okay," she said, flipping her long crimson hair over her shoulder before launching into her tale. "We were in potions right, me and Luna, and we're making the draught of living dead, you remember that from last year?" Hermione nodded, she did indeed, Snape had given her a cheat on how to make it that much faster.

"Right, well I'm cutting up the valerian roots, when Romilda comes waltzing along and sprinkles something in our potion. Not even being subtle about it either, the thick bint!"

"What did she put in it?"

"Who the fuck knows, but our once thick potions went clear and runny like water, before coughing up all this green smoke. Needless to say Snape was _pissed_!"

"At you?" Hermione asked, shocked. Snape had been mindful of Ginny ever since she started, purely because she was Ron Weasleys sister, but after he realised she was rather good at his class he had mellowed out somewhat. He still wasn't too fond on her, mostly because she was a Gryffindor and didn't take any of his shit. Most of her detentions were with Snape.

"Kind of. He went ape-shit on Romilda, and told me and Luna to get our 'starry heads' out of the clouds and take note on what people are doing to our potions. Which is fair enough I suppose."

Hermione nodded, and the two lapsed into silence.

The joint was dwindling and she knew they didn't have long until afternoon classes would start. Unfortunately she didn't have any free periods today, and therefore wouldn't see Draco until that night. Not that it was likely a good idea to see him, knowing her luck she'd pounce the moment she had him alone.

But by God was she horny.

Every time she saw him or passed him in the hallway, they'd share this look, and her skin would tingle. She didn't even need him to look at her for her to feel this way. Just thinking of him made her heart pound and her palms sweat. She needed him so much, and after having a taste of Christmas, it was so much more difficult to deny herself the second time around.

Hermione had also been trying to decide whether or not she should tell Ginny. After all the girl was her best friend, and they told each other everything. Often to a fault. Hermione knew things about Blaise she _never_ wanted to think about.

But at the same time she felt she was betraying Draco's trust if she told her, after all he didn't want anyone to know, and wasn't it part of their bet anyway?

The silence was killing her however, and her insecurities eating away at her mind. She needed someone to talk to about all of this. Hermione knew if she asked, Ginny would say nothing, not even to Blaise.

Hermione worried though. Would Ginny be angry that she had kept it hidden for nearly a month? Would she even want to hear her worries after so long? Hermione wasn't sure but she sincerely hoped so.

Hermione quickly finished the joint and tapped it out on the tiles. Her mind was hazy, and she knew if she didn't talk soon this wasn't a conversation she would be able to have. She hopped down quickly from the tiles, smoothing her skirt as she walked towards Ginny.

"Gin," she said, looking into her friends bright blue eyes. "There's something I need to tell you."

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_phew, done. see?_

_Anyway, let me know what you think. I actually have somewhere I plan to go wit this now, can you believe it? _

_Anyway let me know won't you :)_


	13. Going Down Hill

**NEARLY 100 REVIEWS! YOU GUYS AMAZE ME, JS :D**

**I don't remember the last time I updated, but I'm guessing it was a while ago xD. All I can say is I'm sorry, but this could become pattern. University it getting a little ridiculous atm, leaving not a lot of time for writing at all. But I've already started on the next chapter, and I know just where I'm going with this. **

**I've recently begun re-reading the HP series :D...again lol. Thinking of doing a Harry/Ginny one shot, if I did, would people read it?**

**Anyway, hope you like this.**

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The words stuck in Hermione's throat as she looked into her friends blue eyes. Ginny was frowning wondering what the hell was going on, and why her friend was acting so strangely. Finally, after what felt like a million years, Hermione simply closed her eyes and opened her mouth, allowing everything to come spilling out.

"I've been shagging Draco since Christmas, but we're not really together-together, and what if he gets sick of me? You know what he's like, he's got the attention span of a gnat. Please say something?"

Ginnys eyes were wide with shock, she could barely believe what she was hearing, but thankfully for Hermione, she wasn't angry. Not even a little bit.

"I knew it!" She exclaimed. "Hah! Blaise owes me three galleons."

"You had a bet going?"

"Of course we did, and you can't talk. You lot have a fucking running total on me and Blaise."

Well Ginny certainly had a point there, Hermione couldn't quite remember what the total was now, Neville tended to keep an eye on the books.

"You haven't answered any of my questions though. I'm going completely crazy over here, Gin. Help!"

Ginny sighed, realising they were going to be incredibly late to afternoon classes. Actually, considering how neurotic Hermione could be sometimes, she might as well assume they wouldn't even make it to afternoon lessons.

"You _are_ crazy. Draco is mental about you, seriously, you have nothing to worry about. You are gorgeous, sexy, the most amazing person _I've_ ever met. Hell I'd fuck you."

The comment made Hermione laugh, which had been her friends intention all along. Hermione had a way of internalising everything, and Ginny knew if she didn't have a laugh and get over it soon, everything would go to hell in a hand basket.

"Just, don't worry about it, okay? Everything will be fine."

Hermione nodded, though she still wasn't sure. This past week, while Draco had been trying everything to get her to lose the bet during classes, outside them he was particularly distant. He avoided eye contact in the halls and would no longer greet her on his way into the Great Hall for breakfast. It was starting to freak her out, and as they had yet to have a meet up in the room of requirement, she hadn't been able to ask him about it all week.

"I know what you're thinking 'Mione, so just stop. Just breathe deep, hike your tits up and lets go."

Hermione sighed, realising she should just let it go. After all Draco was with her, no one else, so why should she worry? Ginny hadn't shouted at her like she expected her fiery friend too, which was just another plus. God, she realised, she could be so stupid sometimes.

She stood in front of the mirrors, reapplying her lipstick, sealing it quickly with her wand and running her fingers through her loosely curled hair. She was an amazing catch and Draco should feel luck to have her, Ginny was right, she had nothing to worry about.

She was late to transfiguration, and got a rather stern look from Professor McGonagall, but thankfully she didn't give Hermione a detention, that would be the last thing she needed. That was one thing to say for this bet of hers, she hadn't had one detention since it had started. The same could not be said of Draco, he'd had two this week already.

Speaking of Draco, Hermione wondered where he was. She always had this class with him, and looked around worriedly trying to find him. He sat next to her usually, so if he wasn't there she didn't exactly expect him to be sitting anywhere else, so she was a little shocked to find him sitting next to a dark haired Slytherin girl, whispering closely into her ear.

The sight sent shockwaves through her, and suddenly all of her insecurities raised their ugly head. She tried to put it off as simply talking about the lesson, or maybe some sort of house business. But she could see the light in the girls eye, and the smile on her lips was anything but innocent.

Hermione breathed deep, trying to control herself until the end of the lesson, she would only have one more after this, and then she could escape. She knew she would need to calm down and rationalise this before she saw Draco again.

At the end of the lesson she stood in a rush, her chair scraping back hard along the floor as she threw her bag over her shoulder and grabbed her books from the table. She didn't even look back to see if Draco was behind her. It would only hurt her more if he was still with that tramp.

As she walked to herbology she attempted to calm herself. The girl had probably just asked Draco a question, something about the class or about their house, and what girl wouldn't look dreamy eyed if Draco Malfoy was speaking to them?

Hermione realised she was jumping to ridiculous conclusions and she should simply chill the fuck out. Her day had been a mess already, getting the courage to tell Ginny about her and Draco, and then actually seeing him, being all aloof. It was a stress she didn't need, not when she needed to be concentrating on her N.E.W.T's.

She didn't have herbology with Draco, instead she shared the class with Neville, who was, for once, fairly lucid and present. He managed to take her mind off of Draco and made her laugh the whole time, she loved Neville for that. How he was always so happy go lucky, and just got on with his life. She wished she could be so carefree.

Finally Professor sprout dismissed them, and Hermione quickly _scourgified _both her and Nevilles clothes, before they began walking away from the greenhouses and up to the enormous oak door that was their entrance into the school.

"So what time for tonight do you think?" He asked, as they began the long trek up the marble staircase.

"Oh, I'm not sure. You're better asking Luna, I'm not even sure I'll be going."

Hermione didn't see the shocked look she was sent, but she certainly felt it. She'd never missed a night in the room of requirement, not since fifth year when they'd first started venturing there, it was her and Ginnys idea in the first place. And in all honesty she wasn't sure why she wouldn't go tonight, but she simply didn't want to spend a night in Dracos company if he was simply going to ignore her like he had been.

"You sure?"

"Perfectly Neville. I'm just not feeling too good, we'll see though. Okay?"

Neville nodded and turned off to a staircase to the left, and Hermione watched as it spun from the base, sending him in the complete opposite direction to where he started. Truly she couldn't understand why she'd suddenly decided to skip their usual get together. Draco had been aloof before, and it wasn't as though he hadn't been doing it all week. Was it simply that it had become to much finally?

After all she wanted them to be open and honest. She wanted a real relationship with him, but did she really think that was something that could happen between them? Hermione wasn't sure, but she knew she had an awful lot to think about.

Back in her dorm she skipped dinner and sat on her curtained bed, the silencing charm she'd placed around her blocking out even Lavenders shrill voice, twirling her wand between her fingers. Ten and three quarter inches of vine wood, containing a dragon heartstring core. She could do amazing things with this wand. She was perfect at every spell she tried, she understood the history of the castle in which she resided and the history of the wizarding world she had been a part of for the last seven years, but she had a feeling she would _never_ understand Draco Malfoy.

Everything had been perfect, they were together, albeit secretly, and Hermione could say without any shadow of a doubt that he was the best sex she'd _ever_ had. He made her laugh, and come out of herself. She felt ridiculously free when she was with him. So when had it all gone so wrong?

The bet, that was when. Merlin, why did she ever think that would be a good idea? It was a ploy really, to get what she wanted. She didn't want to hide anymore, it was just too much work. Hermione hated sneaking around behind her friends back, and hated keeping secrets from Ginny.

She simply needed to put it from her mind, that was the only thing for it. It wouldn't do for her to dwell on all these negative feelings, even if it did feel like her heart was clawing it's way up her throat, pounding it's way through her chest. After all, it could be nothing, it could all simply be Hermione being paranoid. She didn't need to be jumping to conclusions, not this early in their relationship.

Though maybe it would make her feel better if she could actually put a name to what they had. Were they boyfriend and girlfriend? Or was she just another in a long line of girls to Draco? He'd never come out and told her how he felt. Of course, Hermione knew that Draco wanted her, that much was obvious, but did he feel anything other than lust? She certainly did.

It was all much too confusing, and she was too tired to think of it. She quickly undressed, ignoring the comments flying her way as she crossed the dorm, and slid quickly into bed, closing her eyes and attempting to shut off her mind.

~HD~

For the first time, in an awful long time, Hermione was one of the first students in the great hall for breakfast. There was only one other Gryffindor and a smattering of other students. She knew all her friends would still be sleeping in the room of requirement, and she felt a spear of pain thinking how no one had come looking for her, not even Draco.

She chewed robotically on some dry toast, her stomach too coiled to handle much more. Hermione could barely believe this mood she had managed to get herself into, she simply felt despondent and completely apathetic, yet her heart was as turbulent as her stomach. How had this happened in barely a day?

When the second slice of toast slid like a lead brick down her throat, she decided maybe it was time to leave. The hall was filling up, and she simply couldn't deal with the stares for one day. She didn't want to bother thinking of what Potter and Weasley had said about her this time, nor did she want to run the risk of running into any of her friends. She simply wanted to be alone.

Of course she should have realised this would never happen, not when she had friends as persistent as Luna and Ginny. They found her barely an hour later, knees wrapped tight into her chest by the side of the lake.

Ginny had worried when Hermione hadn't turned up the previous night, especially when she hadn't mentioned she was feeling unwell, and after Hermione earlier revelation, she thought it strange that not even Draco mentioned her absence. However Ginny knew Hermione well, and realised she would need her space, but Ginny was an impatient witch and could only give someone so much space before she simply had to know what was going on.

She barely recognised her friend by the lake. Her hair looked dull, and was a wild mass of curls, a style not seen on Hermione since third year. Her face was clear and pale, eyes free of their usual spark. It was unsettling, and not a sight she had seen for some time.

Ginny and Luna, both worried for their friend, had woken Pansy and left the room of requirement without telling any of the boys where they were going. Hermione was in need of some girl time, and Ginny was there to provide it.

They sat silently around their friend, each offering a small comfort in hands rubbing along her spine or arm, waiting for her to speak.

"You didn't need to come out here you know?"

"'Course we did." It was Luna who answered, her usually dazed eyes clear and focused, worried for her friend.

"Come on, I think we need to have a good chat."

"Ginny I _can't_." Hermione turned her frantic eyes to her friend, she couldn't tell Luna and Pansy about her and Draco, it would completely ruin the whole point of the bet, and she'd feel horrible if Draco found out.

"Okay, but we do need to have a girls night. We're always around those boys, and can never just talk. So come on, what do say we commandeer the room tonight?"

"I don't have a choice do I?" Ginny smiled brightly in response, of course she had no choice.

Hermione followed, slightly reluctantly behind Ginny, as they walked back to the school. She was regretting not bringing her coat, all that time spent sat by the lake had sent a chill into her bones. Hermione ignored her friends talking and walked silently up the marble stairs, carefully jumping the vanishing step and stepping through the portrait hole into Gryffindor common room.

She spent the rest of the afternoon sitting my the fire, reading her textbooks and working on the potions assignment. It managed to keep her mind busy and free from thoughts of a certain blond haired Slytherin…for the most part.

It seemed she couldn't stop her mind from wandering to him, to his gray eyes and devilish smirk. To the feel of his lips against hers, or his body above his. To his laugh, and his hand in hers. Then to his empty glances, his ignorance of her in corridors and finally to him whispering to that girl in transfiguration. It was like one horribly painful cycle, and each time she scolded herself for jumping to such conclusions. Maybe he was just stressed about his N.E.W.T's? Maybe it was something she had done? But none of this made her feel better, the longer she spent apart from Draco, simply wondering what was going on, the worse she seemed to feel.

Maybe Ginny was on to something with this girls night. It couldn't hurt, surely? With a new resolve she determined to shove Draco from her mind for one night. She would enjoy the time with her girlfriends, something she didn't get often enough.

That evening, with a small smile on her face, she curled her hair, applied her makeup and got dressed, making a particular effort to look her best. She wore tan high waist trousers, with a coral long sleeved blouse tucked in, accentuating her small waist. Smiling at her reflection she strutted through the castle in her four inch nude heels, feeling the best she had in nearly two days.

She was the last to arrive at the room of requirement, and smiled brightly at her friends as Ginny raced over to her, tottering in her electric blue pumps.

"Are you okay?" She whispered, giving Hermione a large hug.

"Perfectly."

Her red headed friend pulled back, seemingly searching for something in Hermione's eyes.

"Just forget about him, okay? Fuck him."

"Who needs Draco Malfoy anyway?"

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_I can almost hear the shocked gasps lol. But yes, you aren't mistaken, this is in fact PLOT! lmao._

_Anyway, I hope you liked it :) Let me know what you think won't you :)_


	14. The Fallout: Hermione

**Is anyone actually reading this any more?**

**I know I'm a bad person, for making you wait almost a month for an update, my life has been ridiculously hectic with university. But it's my birthday on Saturday! **

**Anyway, I've been working on this for a month, and I know some of you aren't going to like this, but this was the way I always planned this :)**

**I hope you like it.**

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"God, my first kiss…ugh I can't believe I'm telling you this…my first kiss was…Ron Weasley."

Choruses of gasps and "_No!_" filled the warm air of the stone walled room. The four girls were sat on large cushions, swapping stories of all the men in their lives. It was a rather uncomfortable topic for Hermione at first, until she reminded herself to put Draco from her mind.

Pansy's face was nearly completely red, though Hermione had a feeling it was more from the wine they were sucking back rather than from embarrassment. Ginny had recently divulged her love of all things Lee Jordan, her brothers Fred and George's friend, and now it was Hermiones turn.

There wasn't a lot that these girls didn't know about her, about the lads she had been with or had fancied, but there was one thing that only Ginny knew.

"I lost my virginity to Cedric Diggory."

"Really?" Luna gasped, sloshing red wine over the side of her glass as she leant forward. Their usually quiet, demure friend was breaking from her shell, her eyes were bright and her cheeks were flushed. She was laughing loud and long, holding nothing back. They all loved it.

Hermione nodded and was suddenly bombarded with questions from both Luna and Pansy.

"How was it?"

"_When_ was it?"

"The Tri-wizard champion Cedric Diggory?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"How did we not know about this?"

"Settle back, let the woman speak. Merlins beard." Ginny sighed, not bothering to hide the smirk she sent Hermiones way.

"It was the summer after fourth year, and we met on holiday in Greece. It was amazing, much better than I thought it would be, though it did get better the more we did it. I didn't tell anyone because the topic simply never came up."

"Wow."

Hermione loved that holiday. She'd finally come into herself the previous year, and had even made friends with people other than Ginny. Then her summer holidays rolled around and she'd suddenly sprouted curves, and finally looked good in a bikini, she couldn't help but be caught up in Cedric.

He was a true gentleman of course, and treat her with the respect she deserved.

"What about you Luna?" Hermione asked, switching the focus to her now blushing friend.

"Oh, well. I'm still a…well I haven't, you know, done it yet. But me and Neville are sort of, well, _together_."

The squeals that followed echoed around the room as they all clambered to get as much information out of Luna as possible. None of them were sure, neither Neville or Luna had had a boyfriend or girlfriend before, so this was huge news. Luna took it all in stride, nervously making her way through the questions they asked, the smile never falling from her face.

Hermione wished her announcement to Ginny, about her and Draco could have been so happy. She was now determined to talk to him, though she wasn't sure when to do it, though she was sure if she had any more to drink she would be storming out of this room to find him.

Finally the excitement from Luna's announcement calmed and the girls all sat back against their pillows, nursing their wine and simply enjoying each others company. They really didn't do this often enough. They were always with the boys, which didn't make a very good environment for girl talk. Finally Pansy broke the silence, with a question that had obviously been burning in her mind for some time.

"I've always wondered, and every time I ask no-one answers me, but why do Harry and Ron dislike you so much?"

Ginny sent a quick look Hermione's way before shooting the usual, "It's a long story," from her mouth.

Hermione sighed, it wasn't a long story, not really. It was simply petty, but something she knew would never be fixed.

"It's not, really, it's just stupid."

"Well go on, because I'll be honest, I'm sick of not knowing." Both Luna and Pansy leant forward, while Ginny shrugged and slumped back into her seat.

"You remember in first year, what a little know it all I was?"

"Well yeah, but you haven't really changed have you?" They all laughed and Hermione shook her head, she hadn't really, she'd simply found people who liked her for it.

"Well Harry and Ron had a way of breaking the rules, and for some reason I felt it was my place to tell them what to do. I suppose I just wanted some friends, but had no idea of how to make them. Anyway one day Ron said something pretty hurtful about me, when he didn't think I was listening. I refused to talk to them after that, not that they really cared." Hermione remembered it quite clearly, remembered storming passed them in the courtyard, and crying in the girls toilets, realising Ron had been right, she didn't have any friends.

"Is that it? What about Draco?"

"No, that's not just it, but that started it. Draco, as you know, was a little git from the get-go. He'd been brought up in a house where having pure blood meant everything. He offered his friendship to Potter, first day of first year, and was turned down. He didn't like that, and decided early on that he just didn't like them. It all only got worse in second year. Harry had come from being nothing, to being everything. He was famous here, and people worshipped him for it, apart from Snape and Draco, it all just went to his head."

"I don't think he's like that though," Pansy interjected.

"I'll be honest Pans, he might not be now, but to us, back then, he was."

"I came to Hogwarts that year," Ginny began, sitting up to tell her side. "Potter had been at our house over the summer, and I'm ashamed to say I thought he was amazing, that was until I got to school. I met Hermione one night in the library, and she helped me with my homework, we hit it off straight away. But the next morning at breakfast, my brother comes sauntering over, sees me sitting with her and starts."

"What did he do?"

"He tells me '_You don't want to sit with her, right freak she is. Come sit with me and Harry, Gin, we'll show you the ropes.'_ Of course I've never let my brother talk to me like that, and swiftly told him to mind his own business and run off with his little friend.

"We've never really been the same since."

"It just got worse after that," Hermione finished. "Every day was something else, my hair was bushy, my teeth were big, I spent too much time in the library, I was the teachers' pet, so on and so forth, until fourth year, when Draco stood up for me."

It had felt so good, having Draco tell Ron and Harry off, before turning to Hermione and asking if she was okay. She'd never really had any interaction with the blond haired Slytherin before then, what with her being muggle-born he'd thought she wasn't worth his time. But his time at Hogwarts had changed him, he'd seen that being a pure-blood really meant nothing at all. They'd been friends ever since, but Hermione had wanted to be so much more since fifth year.

"We just don't like each other Pans, and after everything we've all said to each other, I _know_ we never will."

Pansy frowned. She'd always thought there'd been more to it than that, that something huge had happened, when in fact both parties were to blame. She still couldn't really understand why they didn't like each other, when she thought they were all so lovely, but she realised there was nothing she could do to change it.

"I cannot be _arsed_ with this week!" Ginny complained, effectively changing the subject as she reached across Pansy to grab the bottle of Ogden's Fire whisky.

"I know what you mean, I still haven't written the three feet on the astral projections for Professor Sinistra."

"I still don't know why you took astrology," Hermione giggled, finishing rolling the joint in her hand and quickly lighting the end.

"I like it. I doubt you have any work left do you?"

"'Course I don't." Hermione was nothing if not hardworking, and always did her homework the same night she received it. It meant she was always on top, and also meant she would have the weekend free to mess about with her friends.

"What do you think the boys are doing tonight?" Luna asked, twirling a piece of her white blonde hair around her finger.

"Who the hell knows." Ginny shrugged.

"Who the fuck cares," Hermione mumbled, not being able to stop the disgusted tone that entered her voice.

"Woah, 'Mione. What happened?" All eyes on were on her, Ginny looking panicked, wondering exactly how her friend was going to talk herself out of this.

"Ah, nothing."

"Come on, did Draco do something?"

"Why would I care if Draco did something?"

Pansy and Luna shared a knowing look, and Hermione couldn't believe how badly she'd given herself away. This girls night wasn't turning out as well as she thought it would be when they'd started.

"Well I mean, you're really close, so I thought maybe he'd done something."

"He hasn't done anything, and we're not that close, not really." Hermione took a long drag on her roll, wishing she could just shut the fuck up.

"You know what ladies, it's late, I'm going to go." She stood, slipping her heels back on and heading to the door. She could hear the whispers behind her, and the tug on her arm that was Ginny.

"Why the fuck are you going?"

"I can't do this, I need to speak to him. It's driving me crazy not knowing what's happening."

"'Mione just leave him, he's probably just having a bit of a meltdown, he'll be fine in a couple of days."

"Yeah he might be, but I'm not sure I will. Tonight was really great babe." She gave Ginny a quick hug before turning and walking into the dark corridor.

"_Lumos_," she whispered, allowing her wand to light the way in the deserted hallway, the portraits either side mumbled angrily as she walked past, annoyed at being awoken from their slumber.

Her mind was spinning, twisting over and over, making such a mountain out was more than likely nothing more than a small mole hill. Yet she couldn't get his face from her mind as he spoke to that Slytherin girl in transfiguration, or as he blatantly ignored her in the halls. She wondered why his affection was suddenly lacking, when just the other week he couldn't get enough of her. He would grab at her in hallways, kissing her in cupboards and attempting to feel her up in class, and while the bet they had going prevented this, they were still allowed to at least speak. It simply made her feel like such a pathetic little witch, that she would gladly just take having a conversation with him. She just wanted some form of contact.

She was walking down towards the Slytherin dorm, wondering how she was ever going to get Draco's attention. Maybe this was a stupid idea, maybe she should just leave it until tomorrow, after all it was still the weekend. Her roll ran out and she threw the tab against the stone wall, pausing to lean against the wall, blowing out the smoke as she did.

Hermione couldn't believe how twisted up over him she was. She had never been so fucking gone over a guy in her life, and he was making her act crazy. She wasn't this pathetic girl, she was Hermione fucking Granger, the best witch of her age! She didn't go gaga over just some lad, even if it was Draco Malfoy.

So he was talking to some other girl, so he'd been ignoring her, what the fuck ever. She would just get this week over with, win the bet and then everything would be fine, they could be together, out in the open. No more hiding, and she knew it would be worth it, because she loved him.

Shaking her head at how completely stupid she had been acting, she pushed herself off the wall, realising just how close to the dungeons she had come, and turned to head back up the stairs. But she hadn't gotten far before she heard voices, worried that maybe it was a teacher, and though it was the weekend generally students shouldn't be out of bed so late, she hid in a nearby alcove, listening as the voices came closer and closer.

It was a girl, giggling as she staggered along, Hermione could see her bare legs as she tottered along in her heels. She rolled her eyes, Hermione hated it when girls wore shoes they couldn't walk in. But there was someone else with her, and Hermione edged further into the alcove, until she couldn't see whoever was stood in the corridor. They'd stopped right next to where she was hiding, and she heard a thump as one of them hit the wall.

"Not out here," the girl simpered, her voice betraying her words. She wanted anything the other person was going to give her.

"Oh come on, there's no one around."

Hermione's heart constricted at the voice. The voice she knew so well, and had dreamt about for so long. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and the pressure of tears around her eyes as she realised just what she was listening to.

"What kind of girl do you take me for?"

"A horny one. Come on, let me have it."

His voice wasn't slurred like she wished it would be, maybe if he was drunk she could work to forgive him, but this was too much. Her traitorous body wouldn't allow her to simply listen any longer, and she edged quietly around the edge of her alcove, till her head was peering around the bend to the two figures huddled against the wall. His hand was on the dark haired girls leg, exposed between her robes as she wrapped it around his waist, while her hands were buried in his platinum blond hair. They were attached at the hips and lips, and Hermione felt her heart break into two as the tears she was trying to hold back rolled hotly down her cheeks. How could he do this to her?

"Draco!" She shouted, her voice cracking, practically on a scream.

They broke apart quickly, the girl wiping her mouth and attempting to smooth her hair, until she saw who it was and cocked her hip to the side. But Hermione couldn't truly focus on her, not when Draco was looking guiltily up at her from his shocked grey eyes.

"Hermione, I-" He began, not truly knowing how to explain this. How he had lost his mind so completely and sabotaged the only good thing he had going. But Hermione wasn't going to let him finish, she walked right up to him, and pushed him sharply in the chest.

"What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing with this tramp? Is this what's been going on all week? You've been going off with whores like her? Do I truly mean nothing to you Draco?"

Draco was leaning heavily against the wall, not attempting to answer her questions or even defend himself as she pelted him with her words and questions.

"Excuse me, but who the fuck do you think you are calling me a whore? Fucking bitch." Hermione turned her fiery, tear filled eyes to the Slytherin girl behind her, wand in hand.

"I suggest you go." Her voice was low, the threatening tone and sparks flying from the end of her wand enough to have the girl running, without so much as a goodbye or leave.

Draco's mouth was bobbing open and closed like a fish, and Hermione realised she was never going to get an explanation for this from him. She wanted to know how he could do this to her, when everything had seemed fine only the other week, she wanted answers, but obviously Draco was too cowardly for that. Wiping her tears away angrily, she gave him one last scathing look before turning to walk back the way she had came, back to her room.

"Hermione!" He was staggering behind her, trying to push himself from the wall after her.

But she couldn't listen, her feet were killing her and she quickly removed her heels, resisting the urge to throw them as hard as she could back to him. Every time she blinked she saw them again, his lips pressed tight to some other girl than her. Every time she saw them again there was a horrible pain in her chest, and she had to force herself not to stop for breath. Her tears were flowing steadily, and she cursed herself for ever falling for someone as promiscuous and devilish as Draco bloody Malfoy.

The last staircase to Gryffindor tower was taken at a run, the sound of Draco's feet still thundering behind her. He was going to catch her, and she wasn't sure she could contain herself if she was near him again. Hermione wasn't often a violent person, not really, but she was extremely tempted to become one for Draco.

"_Corpus Draconus!_" She shouted, hopping on her feet as the portrait hole swung open, the opening, usually so swift, felt like it took an age to open and let her in. Draco's voice, calling her as she ran inside. Thankfully, it swung shut much quicker than it opened, blocking out Draco's voice, but not the heartache he'd left her with.

"Hermione!" Ginny was sat by the fire, joint in hand and a worried look on her face as she saw her friends tears.

"Oh God, what did he say?" Grabbing Hermione's hands she led her to a second armchair, falling to the floor before her.

Hermione's tears sped up, she didn't dare imagine what she must look like as she began to tell Ginny all about what she had seen in the corridor.

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_Let me know what you think please :)_


	15. The Fallout: Draco

**oh my fuck!**

**Can I just say, first and foremost, how awesome you all are? Cause you are, you're amazing! See how many reviews I have now? I'm like WHAT! Anyway, I've got this chapter out as quickly as I could, and now I really need to work on my uni shit and my other twilight fanfiction that hasn't been updated in 2 months xD**

**So I wrote this in lectures and on my birthday (which was on Saturday btw :D) and I finished it today!**

**I really hope you like this, it's a little shorter than the rest, but this is Draco's say. **

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It was a clusterfuck of epic proportions, and Draco swung a single ill tempered kick at the fat ladies portrait, earning him a good ear lashing in return. He stalked away into the darkness, before his legs gave out and he collapsed against a cold stone wall. He pushed the hell of his hand into his eyes, attempting to keep those horrible tears at bay. If there was one thing he agreed with his father about, it was that Malfoys don't cry.

He was just so incredibly angry with himself. How could he have been so stupid as to go with that girl? That girl who meant so little that he didn't even remember her name. What was worse was that he knew that if he hadn't been caught he would have fucked that poor, unknowing girl.

Behind his closed eyes he kept seeing Hermiones face, blotchy with tears and righteous indignation. She was pissed and he was left wondering what the hell he had been doing. He had sabotaged the best thing going for him, and he had no idea why.

Although really, that's a lie, because he did know, but it was so pathetic he could barely admit it to himself. The fact was, for months he hadn't even looked at another girl, let alone shagged one, since he began his chase after Hermione. He had never been so gone over someone and wasn't sure how to deal with it. He'd never spent so long chasing someone, never tried so hard to get a girl into bed, and the scary thing was that wasn't all he wanted her for.

So he was cowardly and he pulled away, the bet was simply the easiest excuse for his behaviour. At the beginning of the week it was the hardest, when every time he saw her, those gorgeous curves barely concealed behind her tight blouse and dress, he simply _needed_ to touch her. In the halls it was easier to simply pretend she wasn't there, but he would stare at her after she had gone past.

Eventually he'd realised that not sitting with her was going to be best, thought the distance had made a strange ached arise in his chest he had kept to it, believing it was for the best.

He deluded himself into thinking it was for her benefit, that in the end he would only hurt her, so why keep up the charade. They weren't going to stay together, and he cared for her too much to allow her to get too hurt by him, she was better than that. In his own twisted logic it had made sense, and completely hidden the truth away.

The truth was he was scared.

The statement alone would earn him such a hiding from his father, should it ever reach his ears, but it was the truth. He was petrified of what was going on, of losing the life he'd had before his pursuit of Hermione. She'd always been in his gaze, always been on the edge, that wonderfully unattainable woman, and now she was in his grasp and he was terrified of what it meant.

There were these feelings he got, of total and complete contentment unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Of supreme jealously when she even spoke to anyone else, or when another lad touched her. He was protective, and he could barely keep his eyes off of her. He'd never felt like this for another girl before, never been so interested in their life and their emotions. And it scared him.

He'd tried taking notice of the other girls around him, that still threw themselves at him day in and day out, but all he could see was her. Nobodies hair was a silky as hers, or fell in such perfect curls, nobodies eyes held the same depth, and certainly none of the other girls at the school were as captivating as Hermione. She was one in a million and he had cocked it up completely.

Going with that girl had been ludicrous, but he'd seen Hermione's face as he'd been talking to the girl in transfiguration. She'd been livid, and for some reason that gave him some twisted sense of satisfaction, at the same time as it created such a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. His mind was in two pieces, one part screaming at him to push her away, to quit now before he got in too deep, while the other was appalled at him for being such a coward as to think this could ever work, and that he could ever escape her.

He hadn't expected her to hiding down that dark dungeon hallway, and now he thought about it he wondered exactly why she _was_ there. But he'd been sitting in the common room, with Blaise and Theo while Theo boasted over his latest conquest, and he couldn't stop thinking about Hermione. In the end he simply grabbed that girls hand as a distraction, anything to get Hermione out of his head, but even on the walk out of the common room she hadn't left him. And the girl had kept talking, in that high pitched annoying voice of hers, until he'd snapped, and pushed her forcefully against the wall. He was crazed, needing to get her from his thoughts.

When she appeared, he thought for sure he'd gone mad, that she was simply a figment of his imagination. Of course it eventually became clear that she wasn't, and his heart had plummeted from this chest as he'd tried to find some way of talking himself out of the situation. But there was nothing he could say, and sitting against that wall he still knew there was nothing he could say to make this right.

Some would call this an epiphany, realising that what he had been trying to a accomplish had been foolish, that he shouldn't have even tried. He should have grown a pair and acted like the man his father had tried to make him. He shouldn't have denied these feelings, that were so obviously love, he should have embraced them, and been the kind of man Hermione deserved, even if he didn't think that was him.

But now it was too late.

Draco raised his head from his hands, noticing that the corridor was no longer dark, as the early morning light filtered in through the stained glass windows opposite. Ginny was always an early riser, and no doubt she would want to run to Blaise and tell him everything that had happened. So maybe he could talk to her, surely it would be safer than talking to Hermione?

Fifteen minutes later Draco was running as fast as he could through nearly deserted hallways, as the few students that were about hugged the stone walls, watching in awe as bright sparks lit up the ground at his feet.

"Don't you _ever _think of coming near her again, you slimy fucking git!" Ginny was running, rather impressively in three inch steel heeled boots, after him, wand aloft as she fired curse after curse at him. In truth she wasn't trying to hit him, not really, when she did she wanted him to feel her fists in his face. But it was fun watching him dance about.

She just couldn't believe he'd had the nerve to ask her if he could talk to Hermione, to ask how she was doing. How did he think she was doing? She'd been in tears all night, huddled into the armchair by the fire. Ginny hadn't even been able to convince her to have a shower, though she had finally convinced her to go to bed. Her usually confident friend was a wreck, and Ginny wasn't sure how long it would last.

Finally Draco ran into the entrance hall, and Ginny stopped her pursuit of him, knowing that a teacher wouldn't be far away. But she'd find him eventually, she was going to make him pay for what he'd done to Hermione.

He was leant, breathing deeply against the entrance hall wall, taking no notice of the group of first year Hufflepuffs watching him with wary eyes. He looked like someone who had escaped from an asylum…and not the fun kind. His hair was sticking to his sweaty forehead, and he ran a shaking hand through it, making it stand on end. His eyes were crazed and bloodshot, and he seemed to stare out into nothingness.

Obviously he'd lost his mind, thinking Ginny would be anything short of crazed with anger. After all, she wasn't exactly known for her calm, quiet demeanour, and Hermione was her best friend, if anyone was going to defend her, it was going to be Ginny. And he deserved it really, he'd been a complete and utter twat, he knew he deserved everything he got, that didn't, of course, mean he had to like it.

The smell wafting from the great hall, of bacon and sausages, eggs and toast, the sound of students chattering happily about the upcoming Sunday, was making him nauseated. He wasn't sure he could deal with seeing anyone, not when he felt like his insides were fighting there way out, and his heart wouldn't stop aching. He wasn't sure how he was going to make this better, but he knew somehow he had to fix it.

Draco walked slowly back to his dormitory, ignoring the strange looks he was getting for his dishevelled look. He barely took notice of where he was going, and many a time had to apologise for nearly walking into the students, and act in and of itself that caused the students to talk. After all, Draco Malfoy was not known as being someone who apologised.

Finally he reached the expanse of stone wall, emblazoned with a large snake upon it. He mumbled the password, tripping down the steps into the cold dungeon common room. Not many people were milling around, Slytherins weren't often early risers, and those who were barely gave him a second look, if they even gave him a first. He thought maybe he could pass through unnoticed to his dorm, all he truly wanted was to fall into his bed and never leave. Or to wake up and discover this had all been one horrible nightmare.

But it was not to be, as he staggered into the seventh year dormitory and found Blaise sprawled on his bed waiting for him, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Don't tell me you went with that lass?" He scoffed, frowning as his blond haired friend fell face first onto the bed.

Blaise wondered what the hell was the matter with him, he wasn't sure he'd ever seem him look so utterly defeated. He looked like he'd gone ten rounds with a troll, which isn't a good look. His eyes were bloodshot, his face pale and gaunt, as though he was suffering from some terrible sickness.

The mumble Blaise received in answer really did nothing but confuse him more. What on earth could have gone on that was so bad?

"Mate, what's happened?" He pushed on Draco's shoulder, until he was laying face up, eyes scrunched shut as his palms rubbed over his forehead, attempting to relieve the migraine growing like a pink haze behind his eyes.

"Everything happened. I fucked up." Draco's voice cracked, passing through his dry throat. He knew the tears he was trying to keep back would spill over at any moment, but right then he didn't care, it was only Blaise, who had seen him in far worse states.

"What?"

"Fucked up. Completely. She'll never take me back."

"Who won't?" Now Blaise was really confused. As far as he knew Draco wasn't seeing anyone, he'd denied so adamantly about him and Hermione, the thought that it was she Draco spoke of never crossed his mind.

"Hermione."

"Look, mate, you've lost me. Tell me from the start?"

Draco sighed, the sound like a dying animal as he crawled up his bed, resting his back against the headboard and his forehead against his bent knees.

"Fucked her over Christmas, been going together ever since. But then she wanted labels, and she wanted other people to know, and we made this stupid bet. But I was scared, and I fucked up. She saw me with that girl last night, I only kissed her, but I would've fucked her, I know it. It's all gone to shit, and I know there'll be nothing I can do to fix it. It's hopeless."

The reality of the situation crashed upon him. He'd lost the girl of his dreams, and there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell of getting her back. They wouldn't have a happy ending, he wasn't brave or courageous enough to attempt to win her back. All he really had was sleuth and cunning. He was fucked. Royally.

Blaise didn't know what to say, his first instinct had been to slap him silly. How could he have been so stupid? To throw everything he had with Hermione away. Blaise may not have known they were together, but he could only imagine what it was like, and he knew they were both stupid in love. But seeing his friend, who was usually so calm and collected, dissolving into harsh sobs, it was just too pathetic and Blaise could think of doing nothing but comforting him.

"Ah come on mate, it'll sort out."

"It won't." Draco shook his head, staring at his black bed cover.

"You're being a little melodramatic aren't you?" It was a stupid question, because Blaise knew he wasn't. He was in love, a feeling Draco wasn't associated with, and he had just lost the girl, something else that had never happened to him. Blaise could only imagine how he had to be feeling.

"Well look, you can't hide in here, what will she think then? I'm not saying you have to go out today," he added, when Draco sent him a terribly baleful look, "But tomorrow. I'll leave you for now, but when I come back we're coming up with a way to get her back.

Chin up mate. It'll all work out."

Blaise left, extinguishing the lamps as he did, leaving Draco alone in the darkness. He got out of bed, and quickly stripped off his clothes from the day before. But before he climbed into bed, he opened the curtains next to it, looking out and over to Gryffindor tower. He couldn't see her of course, but he wished she knew how much he loved her, maybe then she would forgive him.

After shutting the curtains he crawled into his bed, wondering how long it would take for sleep to take him. He wasn't sure he'd ever get Hermione's poor tear stained face from his thoughts, but he knew he couldn't just sit around doing nothing. Come tomorrow he was setting to it. He was going to win her back.

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_I know, no excuse right? Well he's had his say, I never said Draco was a sensible person_

_Anyway let me know what you think won't you :)_

_I'm aiming for the next chapter to be out in about 2 weeks, but don't hold me to that, I'll try my hardest :)_


	16. Defensive Manoeuvres

**LOOK AT THIS!**

**I said I'd update within 2 weeks, and I have! Can you believe it? Cause I can't xD.**

**Anyway, so this is the update, lets hope I can keep this up 'ey?**

**I hope you like this :)**

**ALSO do you see how awesome you all are? How many reviews I have? you're seriously amazing :)**

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The next day Draco awoke slowly, blinking through crusty eyes into the bright dungeon room. All the beds were empty save one, which held a frowning Blaise. He was dressed for the day and Draco had to wonder at exactly how long he had been asleep.

"What time is it?" He asked, coughing as he sat up.

"Eight…on Monday. Dude you slept through all of yesterday."

He frowned, running a hand through his sweat soaked hair. He barely recalled waking up during the night, tossing and turning as he saw Hermiones face in his dreams. He'd slept through a whole day? It was so absurd, and yet he believed it, after all after the night he'd had he was exhausted.

Thinking about the day ahead, of double potions first thing in the morning, where he would be forced to share a cauldron with Hermione, made him feel sick to his stomach. His heart seemed to be beating somewhere around his throat as he imagined seeing her face. He was petrified.

"No way man, you're getting up and you're making this better," Blaise said, getting up and pulling the duvet from him. "Ginny's been up my arse all yesterday, and I'm not having it today. Usually I wouldn't get involved but this is just stupid."

Draco had a moment to wonder if everyone in the castle knew about what he'd done, and a moment of panic along with it, before he stopped himself, realizing that was what had got him into this whole mess. It was time for him to suck it up and act like a man. It was time for him to get his girl back.

As thought with a new lease of life he jumped out of bed, running to the shower where he managed to get soap in not only both his eyes but up his nose too. He should have taken that as an omen of the day to come; that maybe today wasn't the day to get her back. But Draco never believed in divination, so didn't think anything of it.

His eyes were bright red, and his face was pale. He looked like he'd been dragged through a hedge backwards, but he figured that would work to his advantage. After all if she felt sorry for him surely she would take him back, right?

Blaise clapped him on the back as they headed through the common room; a few of the girls turned their heads in their direction, before whispering to their neighbour. Draco took this as assurance that yes, everyone in the castle was aware of what he'd done. Brilliant.

The walk to the great hall was like a walk to the gallows, his heart had dropped to his stomach, where the butterflies had turned into moths with razor blades for wings. He was pretty sure he was sweating in places one should never sweat when attempting to win back you're girlfriend, and he couldn't stop fidgeting. Blaise was beginning to think he'd developed a nervous twitch by the time they reached the Great Hall.

This was it. The Gryffindor table was the second table in, and Hermione always sat near the top with Ginny, so there was no getting away from her. He would have to say something to her, even just to ask her how she is. While all he really wanted to do was ignore her, to blast past and pretend he hadn't seen her, he knew there was no way that could happen.

Taking a deep breath he pushed through the ajar door, really fucking glad that Blaise was there with him. Draco wasn't one to give moral support all that often, but he would certainly take it when offered. It felt like every head turned in his direction, when in fact it was maybe only five students. His palms had started to sweat and he was left wondering when he had ever been this nervous before? He was pretty sure he never had.

She was sitting, head in her arms opposite Ginny. Her hair was a mass of curls, and Draco suddenly stopped, having no idea what he was going to say to her. What could he say that would make this better? Thankfully Blaise gave him a solid push and before he knew it he was stood beside a glowering Ginny.

"Morning darling," Blaise said, bending to kiss her slightly. She kissed him back before returning her glare to Draco. While she agreed with Blaises plan: that really Draco and Hermione belonged together, she was still in no way impressed with him, and could think of numerous curses she wished to use on him.

Draco, seeing the malicious intent in her eyes gulped and stepped back slightly, straight into Hermione's elbow. It was as though all around the hall, students were holding their breath, preparing for what could only be a fight of epic proportions. But it never came, Hermione raised her head, turned her own red-rimmed eyes to Dracos before returning her head to the table, with no words passed between them.

Draco wasn't sure what to make of it, she wore no makeup, no smile, no nothing. Was that how it was going to be between them now? He couldn't have that, he couldn't simply let that slide.

"Morning Hermione," he mumbled, half hoping she wouldn't hear him.

She once again lifted her head, frowning at him. Inside her heart was pounding as she stared at him, and her eyes burned, trying desperately to hold back the tears that had plagued her all of yesterday. She'd gotten no sleep two nights running, and the tears were beginning to get ridiculous. She just wanted to be left alone, and she certainly didn't want to deal with Draco, not when she would have to put up with him for two hours that same morning.

"What?" She asked, her tone petulant, annoyed. Couldn't he see that she didn't want him there? Didn't he know that every time she looked at him, into those deep gray eyes, she saw him in that dark corridor, with his hands all over that girl? Didn't he know how much pain she was in?

Staring at him, waiting for him to answer it was becoming difficult to breath, and she knew that any minute she would do one of two things; either she would collapse into tears, or she would curse him into oblivion…maybe both.

Fortunately, Ginny knew her friend well enough to know when she needed saving, so, saying a quick goodbye to Blaise she grabbed Hermione by the hand and tugged her quickly from the hall. Leaving a frustrated Draco behind.

"Never said it would be easy mate," Blaise murmured, turning towards the Slytherin table.

No, thought Draco, he never expected this to be easy. But he hadn't imagined she wouldn't even speak to him, or look at him without wanting to disembowel him.

Hermione stood pacing in the entrance hall, running her hands through her hair so much Ginny was beginning to worry she would tear it out. She just couldn't imagine that was how he'd seen her. She'd planned to be calm and in control, to be distant and not-give-a-fuck like. Instead she'd nearly completely lost her shit and freaked out. It wasn't good.

"Hey, look Hermione, it's fine. You didn't freak out, I swear. It was all very calm." Ginny hated seeing her friend like this; she'd been a complete mess the day before. She'd cried nearly the whole day, curled up in bed. She hadn't been able to read, or sleep, or eat; she was just too upset. When she wasn't curled in bed, mourning the loss of Draco, she was restless, walking constantly or running up and down the stairs, trying to run off all the excess energy she seemed to have.

Ginny didn't do well with emotional people, which was why being Hermione's friend was just about perfect, she was a very rational person, except when it came to Draco. She watched as her friend paced and paced, making her almost dizzy in the process before she finally latched onto Hermiones arm, stopping her progress and forcing her to stare wide eyes at her red headed friend.

"Please, for Merlins sake, stop." Ginny sighed, taking Hermione's hand and dragging her in the direction of the potions classroom, it would mean an extra long walk up to the astronomy tower, but if it meant keeping Hermione happy, Ginny was prepared to do it.

"I know this is going to be horrible, and probably more than a little bit painful. But just, be civil, don't hex him, no matter how much you want to, and for Gods sake don't cry."

"I don't know if I can be around him Gin."

Ginny sighed, pursing her lips around what she was about to say, she almost couldn't believe she was doing this. "Look, he hurt you, really bad, and I _know_ he's an absolute twat, but believe me when I tell you that he's hurting too, a lot."

"Oh please-"

"No 'Mione, listen. He is. This is all very knew to him, and plus he's a man, they don't do touchy feely emotional stuff. He panicked and fucked up, but he knows he did that. So just…I don't know, don't be horrible?" It almost made her feel sick to say it, defending the man that had broken her friend in half, and yet she knew they would be so much happier together.

"How can you stand there and defend his actions?" Hermione was shocked, frowning at her friend, the same girl who had chased Draco half way around the school because of what he did.

"Believe me, I can barely believe I'm doing this either. What he did was wrong, and he _does_ deserve to suffer, but not like this, don't antagonise him. You both need some time apart, and while I know your lessons aren't exactly conducive to that, we're all going to try to make this as easy as possible. Okay?"

She frowned, she couldn't ever think of forgiving him, now or any time in the future. But she nodded anyway, figuring her friend had to be right. The logical part of her mind was telling her Ginny was right, that she was just too close to the situation to see it clearly.

"Good, now go enjoy potions and I'll see you after herbology for lunch. You have the afternoon off yes?"

"Yeah, poor Flitwick has spattergoit, God only knows how he got that."

Ginny wrapped her arms tight around her friend, other students were beginning to arrive and she knew it was only a matter of time before Snape came billowing around the corner. She whispered for Hermione to be brave and try to make it through the first half of the day without killing Draco, before she ran off to her own lesson, leaving Hermione alone and fretting.

Potions, of course, went as well as could be expected. The whole class knew about what went on between Hermione and Draco, and everyone could feel the horribly awkward tension between the two. Draco wasn't exactly sure how he made it out of the classroom with both testicles still attached, as he noticed numerous times Hermione's fingers twitched, as though reaching for her wand, though he was incredibly thankful that he did. He was rather attached to his testicles.

Snape was oblivious and kept wandering over to their desk, tutting and tsking at their lack of teamwork. Their potion, whatever it was supposed to be (neither could truly remember), was a mess. What was supposed to be a translucent aquamarine colour, was instead a thick oily black. As neither Draco nor Hermione would even consider initiating conversation, even to ask how many bowtruckle leaves had been added, or if the potion had been stirred counter clockwise or not, the whole thing was a disaster of epic proportions. Professor Snape couldn't understand it, and frowned down his crooked nose into their cauldron, noticing how his best two students were sitting as far from each other as they could manage at the small desk. He made no comment on it however, and simply told them to pay better attention next time.

Hermione was out of her seat like a shot as soon as the bell signalling the end of lessons sounded, running haphazardly through the halls to herbology. There was no way she was sitting through another awkward lesson with Draco, and she thought she might just die of embarrassment if she had to share shears with him. Either that or she would hex his bollocks off…though the latter was sounding much more preferable.

She just couldn't get over the nerve of him. He hadn't even apologised! Fair enough she hadn't really given him much chance, and it had been so obvious she'd wanted nothing to do with him in potions, she'd probably scared the poor lad from speaking. But all the same, he could at least _try_ to apologise.

The rest of the day continued in the same manner as potions, though neither made the mistake of sitting near each other for the rest of day. But every classroom was filled with an incredibly awkward silence, that every single student could feel. It wasn't until dinner, when Hermione was slumped over the table, completely ignoring the food before her, that things began to change.

She heard Ginny mumble something under her breath, and saw a scowl darken her friends features but she didn't lift her head. Not until she felt two people sit either side of her did she bother to even acknowledge that anyone was there.

"So, Hermione," the voice of Harry Potter drawled, and she shuddered. After the day she'd had, she had no patience for them, and knew that whatever he had to say wasn't going to be nice. "Heard about you and Malfoy, such a surprise really."

She didn't dare dignify him with a response, keeping her eyes firmly averted from him to the oak table below her. Realising Hermione wasn't going to be playing along, Ron spoke up from the other side of her.

"Why's that Harry?"

"Well I thought for sure she would be able to keep someone like Malfoy satisfied, everyone knows her legs are always open."

Hermiones heart was pounding as she tried to draw breath into her tight chest. She wouldn't cry, she wouldn't. Not over them. She didn't hear Ginny shouting at them, and she drowned out their response. What she did hear however was Draco's voice, thundering from behind her.

"What did you say to her?" He shouted, and she turned gasping to see his hand wrapped tight into Harry's cloak, knuckles white as he shook him. "What did you say you fuckwit?"

"I told her the truth," Harry mumbled. It was the wrong thing to say of course, as Draco's fist came fast down to his face. Harry's nose exploded in a shower of blood as Draco was pulled away from him by Ron.

Hermione watched with wide eyes as Draco proceeded to kick a cowering Harry in the ribs, before turning on Ron and wrestling him to the ground.

"I thought I told you to stay away from her?" He said, punctuating each word with a punch to Rons steadily swelling face. He was no longer fighting back, and yet everyone around was much too shocked to do anything but stare on.

"Mr Malfoy!" Professor McGonagall came streaming between the tables, her wand aloft. "Release him immediately."

He did as he was told, his chest rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath. Hermione couldn't believe what he had done, and was even more shocked at her reaction to it, she had to admit she had enjoyed seeing him defend her like that.

"My office. Now." He scowled before meeting Hermione's eyes, his face blank. She didn't like it, and attempted to smile, after all he did defend her. His lip curled and he spat on the slow moving Harry and Ron, rubbing their heads from the floor, before he stalked off into the castle.

Hermione wasn't sure what to do, but she didn't think she could just let him leave. She turned to Ginny, ready to tell her where she was going.

"Just go." Ginny said, smiling happily as she saw her brother moaning from the floor. It was about time someone put them in their place.

Before she could change her mind Hermione ran out of the hall, after the retreating form of Draco Malfoy. She didn't know what she was going to say to him, and she knew she still couldn't forgive him for what he'd done, but maybe she should hear him out? She just hoped he would listen to her.

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_Let me know what you think, reviews are better than Draco kicking shit out of Harry and Ron :D_


	17. Coming To A Head

**AN:**

**So it's a little late...by maybe a week I think xD and I'm sorry, but I am getting better! and LOOK HOW MANY REVIEWS I HAVE! and did you know that 139 of you have this story on alert? That's mind boggling for me! I know some of my friends have like thousands of reviews so they think this isn't much but to me its AMAZING!**

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Blustering wind howled past the open entrance hall door, as a gabble of students ran out of the cold. They were laughing, about something that had happened in their last class, they didn't notice the two students stood in the dark recesses of the hall, their eyes caught in a painful stare.

Hermione had run so quickly after Draco, he'd had little time to make much progress to McGonagall's office. When he'd heard her feet after him, recognising the click of her heels instantly, he'd stopped, hands clenched to fists by his side. He'd defended her in a moment of sensory blindness. He forgot about the girl in the corridor, that they weren't talking and they weren't truly together anymore. He'd simply seen her, eyes glassy and composure broken, trapped between two vipers. He'd had to attack.

In truth he didn't want to see her, the pain of being ignored all day had finally caught up with him. He could understand her anger, it was completely justified, but did she have to act like he wasn't even there? He'd just wanted to talk to her, to apologise, but she hadn't let him, he was beginning to think she never would. So he didn't want her running after him now, because he knew he wouldn't be as composed as he should be, and no doubt he would simply make the whole thing a lot worse.

"Draco!" She called, breathless as she stopped behind him. She was so close, but she couldn't make herself reach out to him.

"What?" His voice was sharp, his tongue acidic and Hermione flinched. She supposed she deserved that, she hadn't exactly been kind to him.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Hermione frowned, finally grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around to face her. His eyes were bloodshot, with bags under them. It was obvious he'd been sleeping just as well as she had, but what could she do? He'd cheated on her, completely disregarded their relationship, and she still didn't know why.

"Why did you do that?"

He frowned, clamping his lips together, how could he explain that he was defending her, that all the anger about the last day had suddenly come hurtling out of him. He didn't want to seem weak, especially not in front of her, but right then he felt it.

There was a headache pushing behind his eyes, and hot tears were threatening to spill onto his cheeks. He was just at a loss, he didn't know how to get past this, how to get through to her. It had barely been twenty-four hours since Hermione had caught him with that girl, and some would say that's not a long time, but to Draco it might as well have been a lifetime.

Draco hadn't intended to go and fall in love with her, but he had, and now there was no taking it back. It was just typical for him to realise just how far in he'd gotten, after he'd done something that could ruin it forever.

Staring into Hermione's tear filled hazel eyes, he realised she was still waiting for an answer. But he didn't know what to say. He didn't want to admit he was defending her, not when he didn't know where they stood. Were they broken up? A better question was, were they even together in the first place?

"Potter's a dick. Couldn't resist knocking him on his arse."

Hermione frowned. Draco was lying. He used to be so good at it, but after so many years as his friend she'd learnt his tells. He always pursed his lips, just as he was about to speak, and he'd run a hand through his hand, not to mention he wouldn't make eye contact with her.

"So why did you really hit him?"

He almost laughed, almost. He'd never been able to lie to her, he shouldn't have been so stupid as to try now.

"Because they were being dicks to you, and it's not like anyone else ever says anything to them."

"You could have killed them."

"Like I really give a fuck Hermione."

The harsh tone had her stepping back. He'd never spoken to her like that, not with that much venom in his voice. Suddenly she felt guilty, for not listening to him earlier, for not believing that maybe he was hurting too. She thought it was only her that would be affected by his indiscretion, but she had been selfishly blind.

Draco cared, he always had, and Hermione had always known that. He had a problem with showing emotion, showing weakness. Since he was a child his father had drilled into him the importance of not seeming weak, not even to his closest friends, and Hermione realised it was perhaps the only lesson Lucius had managed to embed deep enough into his sons skull.

"Draco," she murmured, placing a hand on his turned back and the tears spilled over as he flinched away from her touch. "Draco, I-I'm so sorry." Her voice was thick with tears, but she couldn't stop them flowing once they started.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she began to turn back to the Great Hall to grab Ginny. Draco obviously wanted nothing to do with her, and she really didn't blame him. She'd been a horrible person to him really, but she'd just been so hurt she hadn't thought about his feelings.

"Hermione don't go." He caught her just as she went to leave. "Why are you sorry? What on earth would_ you_ have to be sorry about? This whole fucking mess is _my_ fault!"

"You might have kissed her, but I didn't listen to you afterwards. I just let it all get to me and ran off like…well like I don't know what. I _know_ you Draco, and if I'd just thought about someone other than myself for just one second, I would have realised why you would do something like that much sooner."

"Hermione there isn't an excuse for what I did. Believe me I've thought of them, there isn't a single excuse."

"You're scared Draco. Scared of being in a committed relationship, of losing who you were, of people seeing that you do, in fact, care."

There it was, out in the open for all the world to see. It was ridiculous really, that Draco's greatest fear had been allowing people to see him afraid, of course now it was that he might lose Hermione.

"I was. Petrified in fact, but I'm not anymore. I'm only scared of losing you."

It was the closest thing to a declaration of love Hermione had ever gotten from him, and she didn't know what to say. It was what she'd needed to know before this had ever happened, what she had been wanting to get out of him when she'd been going to find him that night.

"I don't know if I can forget this Draco, if I'll ever trust you again."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

"I'm going to try."

It was more than he could have hoped for, and before he could stop himself, took her in his arms, wiping away her tears and simply holding him to her. It was her fists against his chest that had him stumbling back.

"But I can't do it now." The tears came thick and fast, and Hermione just knew she must look like such a watery mess, but she couldn't stop. "God Draco. I loved you, so much. You were…everything. And you ruined it, with that stupid _fucking_ cunt. I can't-I can't forgive you. Not right now, and I don't know when I will."

She was confused, and she knew Draco must be too. But she didn't know what to do. She wanted to be with him, to let him hold her, but all she could see, when she looked into those silver eyes, was his hand on another girls thigh and his lips on someone else's.

"I need time Draco, you have to give me that. I'll just-I'll owl you, okay?"

And then she turned away, leaving Draco alone in the hallway, gob smacked.

"Mr Malfoy, I believe I told you to wait in my office." Scowling at Professor McGonagall he followed her up the marble staircase to her office, never getting Hermiones words out of his head. He had a lot of making up to do.

Four days, fourteen hours and about twenty minutes. That's how long they hadn't been speaking, and it was beginning to drive Hermione insane. The week had gone atrociously. She hadn't been able to concentrate in any of her classes, and had pulled a Seamus and set fire to Professor Flitwick. Thankfully he hadn't given her a detention, especially when she burst into tears right afterwards.

Hermione had never been an overly emotional person, but lately she hadn't been able to stop crying. The whole school now knew what had gone one between her and Draco, and Lavender couldn't resist rubbing it in her face at every opportunity. That was until Ginny set a particularly nasty hex her way, she wouldn't tell Hermione what she did to Lavender, but Hermione knew it was horrible when she didn't see Lavender for a whole day.

She knew Draco wasn't fairing much better though. It didn't look like he'd washed properly all week. The bags under his eyes were getting worse and he had a near constant look of pure despair on his face. Hermione hated seeing him like that, and wished she could just make them both happier, but she couldn't forgive him, no matter how much she wanted to.

Her week wasn't even made better when, on Thursday, the girl that she'd caught Draco with, Astoria, came swaggering over to Hermione, full of harsh words and scornful glances, and Hermione ripped out a rather large clump of her hair. She'd earned three days in detention with Snape for that, but he went pretty easy on her, feeling she'd suffered enough.

So now Hermione was sitting on her bed, her conjured black birds spinning around her head, as she waited for Ginny to turn up. She needed advice, and while Ginny felt rather strongly about Draco at the moment, Hermione knew she would be honest with her about this whole thing.

"Sorry I'm late sweetheart, wow nice birds," Ginny said as she ran through the dorm, springing onto the bed in her jeans and vest top. She'd divested of her boots before she'd jumped thankfully.

"Thanks." With a flick of her wrist the birds vanished, leaving the two girls alone.

"What's up Hermione?"

"What should I do? About Draco. I want to forgive him, I want him back, Merlin knows I still love him, but how am I supposed to do that when I can't stop thinking about him and her together!"

Hermione sighed, flopping back on her bed. Ginny crawled up next to her, wishing there was something she could say that would be a quick fix. She loved Hermione, she was the sister she'd never had, and hated seeing her hurting so much.

"It'll be hard, I'm not going to lie. But honestly Hermione, you've got to give him a chance. You'll only regret it, and I know you hurt now, but it'll only be worse if you stay away from him."

Hermione frowned, knowing her friend was right.

"It's just…I can barely look at him Gin."

"Well maybe the first time you see him again, properly, you shouldn't be alone."

Hermione pursed her lips, knowing what her friend was suggesting. "Won't that be a little awkward for everyone else though?"

"Maybe, but we've dealt with awkward before. I mean come on 'Mione, how often have me and Blaise broken up now?"

"A few."

"Exactly. It'll be fine, I promise."

Hermione nodded, biting her lip. It was a good plan, and she did want to move on from this. But she wasn't sure she could just fall back in to a relationship with Draco, she still needed time, but it was no longer time she could spend away from him.

"Tonight?"

Ginny's eyes widened. She hadn't expected her friend to want to do it _now_. She thought for sure Hermione would need time to get used to the idea of seeing Draco. Ginny was wary to do something that would only make her friend more upset, but she knew Hermione was a big girl, and if it all got too much for her she could just leave.

"Okay, meet in the room in an hour?"

Hermione nodded, watching as her red haired friend ran off to let everyone else know to be there. Now she was alone she wasn't sure what to do. She was dressed in her comfiest jeans and an overly large jumper, her hair was pulled back into a messy bun and she had no make up, yet she couldn't really be bothered getting dressed up. She ran quickly to the bathroom, hands braced on the sink below the mirror as she stared at her reflection.

She looked better today than she had all week. Her eyes were no longer rimmed with red and her skin was once again pale, no longer blotchy from tears. But she still couldn't put on a convincing smile, maybe tonight she'd be able to.

Grabbing her eyeliner she quickly outlined her eyes, making them pop, and she ripped the tie out of her hair, fluffing the curls around her face. Much better, she thought.

Shoving her converse onto her feet she walked slowly through the common room and out into the halls. She would be early, but she needed time to get settled, and a little something in her pocket would help her do just that.

The room looked just the same as it always did. Comfy armchairs and sofas centred around low standing tables for drinks and card games. A fire roared in the corner of the room, the smell of the wood permeating the air. It was calming and just what Hermione needed.

She curled herself into a large leather chair, pulling the joint from her pocket and lighting it quickly. She was half way through it when the door opened again, and her heart choked slightly as she saw the blond head peeping around the door. It looked like someone else had the same idea she did.

"You're early," she said, watching as he ran a hand through his messy hair before he came to sit in the chair next to her. She was so confused. It felt so good having Draco so close, looking at her like he did, and yet there was such a pain in her chest whenever she did look at him.

"Yeah…just wanted to chill out a bit before everyone else turned up."

"I get that," Hermione nodded. "Here have some of this." She passed the joint to him, watching as he took a long drag before passing it back to her.

They were silent for a long time after that, listening to the fire pop and crackle. It was uncomfortable, something Hermione still wasn't used to. Everything used to be so easy with Draco, it was strange, not knowing what to say to him.

"Well this is awkward," he finally said, laughing sadly.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry 'Mione," he murmured, taking the offered joint back.

"Me too."

"Do you want me to leave you alone still? I'm not sure what Ginny was thinking with this, I mean it's not as though it's going to be any good. It'll just be awkward and-"

"Shut up Draco," Hermione laughed, smiling for the first time all week. He was rambling, something he only did when he was _extremely_ nervous. "It was my idea to get together, because I actually wanted to talk to you. Ginny thought it would be better to do so with a buffer between us."

"Oh." Draco gulped, frowning down at the leather beneath him. He was sure this was it, the moment Hermione told him she could never forgive him. Draco was expecting it really, he knew what he did was beyond forgiveness, and it wasn't like he deserved it anyway.

"I don't know whether I can forgive you yet, but I miss you." At Hermione's words Draco's head snapped up. "I just…Can we be friends again? Please? I don't know if I can just jump back into what we had, in fact, I _know_ I can't. But I want us to be okay again."

"Hermione I'd love that, we'll work on the rest."

"Good…because you have a lot of making up to do." They shared a smile just as the door opened and the rest of their friends tumbled through the door. It was obvious they had been eaves dropping, but neither Draco nor Hermione could find it within themselves to care.

It might not be quite right yet, but they knew it would be, and Draco had a plan of how he was going to make it up to her. They would be together again, if it was the last thing he did.

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_Let me know what you think please lovelies :)_

_next chapter we move back to being a little more light hearted :)_


	18. Explosive Conditions

God I bet you hate me right? It's been forever! But I do have a decent excuse, RL is a bitch & I've been super duper busy with univeristy work, but now I've finished & I'll be getting my results in 2 weeks ahhhh! so nervous.

Anyway I do plan to finish this over the summer, and while I'm pretty sure it'll still be pretty slow going it'll also be much quicker than it has been xD.

So I'm going to HP world in Florida in 4 weeks :D:D so excited.

**Also! THIS IS IMPORTANT. I've written a Harry/Ginny one-shot, entitles Quiet Nights for Fandom4stormrelief (dot) tumblr (dot) com, please donate, you'll be helping a very worthy cause :).**

**ALSO! if you review, make sure you have your PM's enabled, so I can reply :) now that they've changed the review reply process if you don't have PM's enabled I can't reply :(.**

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The harsh Scottish wind whipped unforgivingly passed her face, sending her brown curls racing behind her as she stared out over the reflective surface of the Black Lake. All was silent on the grounds, save for the wind rustling the nearby trees. Hermione had been sat by the shore of the lake for nearly an hour, her arse was freezing as were her cheeks and nose, and her eyes had been streaming for the past fifteen minutes; she told herself it was just because of the wind.

After her and Draco's awkward meeting back in the room of requirement things had been going…slow, between them. In all classes but potions they sat separate, they no longer met up in hallways to tease the other students, and Hermione missed watching Draco hex the know-it-all Ravenclaws. She missed a lot of things about Draco to be honest.

The way his smile was sometimes a little crooked, how his hair was always such a mess first thing on a morning. She missed playing hide-and-seek around the castle after dark, when everyone was just a little too drunk to notice them slipping into a broom cupboard together. She missed flirting with him, and being touched by him. Most of all she just missed Draco, his companionship and presence were all she needed, but right then it was both of those things that caused her heart to ache so much.

The tears came unbidden, and they rolled down her cheeks like hot wax would a candle, until she was sobbing uncontrollably into her knees; her cries swallowed by the February winds. She just wished everything could go back to the way it had been before. Before he'd cheated on her with that stupid cow. Part of her wished she could've taken it easier, over looked it as such. After all Draco had never been known for his fidelity, but for some reason Hermione expected him to be different with her.

Raising her head into the wind, she used the sleeve of her incredibly thick cardigan to wipe away the last traces of her tears. She'd been out here so long, no doubt people were beginning to wonder where she'd gotten to. She stood slowly, her legs stiff from sitting in the same position for so long in the cold, and dusted the back of her jeans off. Hermione walked slowly back up to the castle, for the first time realising just how hungry she was.

Hermione hated feeling this way. She hated the stress that came with being out of sorts with one of her friends, and one who had always had such a prominent stance in her life. It made her stomach knot just to think about him. What made it worse was thinking that had it been anyone else she was at odds with, she would have ran to Draco for comfort. While she had other friends, nothing was quite the same as him.

And it was such a wretched time for something like this to happen, the year was already speeding away from her, and soon their N.E.W.T's would be upon them. The dreaded seventh year exams. Hermione was one of the top students, _the_ top in front of Draco. But it took a lot of work for her to get there, there was natural ability of course, but it was also a good lot of hard work. But with everything going on in her personal life, she simply didn't have the drive to strive for greatness quite so much.

The hall was loud and warm, almost too warm after she'd spent so long outside. Pulling her cardigan off as she went Hermione headed to the Gryffindor table to sit beside her red headed friend. It seemed in the last few weeks Ginny had become a strong advocate for Hermione and Draco getting back together. She thought she was being subtle, leaving them alone for extended periods of time, or dropping comments about how Draco was looking good these days into casual conversation. But she wasn't fooling Hermione. Not one bit.

However Hermione had to admit that while at times Ginny's persistence only served to aggravate her, she was also grateful that she was trying. It seemed that Draco was no longer trying to initiate conversation, which only led to awkward silences when Hermione couldn't imagine what to say to him. It seemed no matter how much she wished that things could simply fall into place, like it had when they'd first come together, she knew it was going to take so much more work this time around.

Ginny watched her friend with worried eyes. She couldn't understand why everything was still so hard, when everything had seemed okay in the room of requirement. But it seemed that any tentative progress they had made had been lost so abruptly. Ginny wasn't sure how they'd ever get what they had back.

Hermione pushed her food about her plate with her fork, unable to eat anything. It shouldn't be like this, she shouldn't feel so wrong. Her stomach was in constant knots, her heart residing somewhere around her throat and she was developing the worst migraine she'd ever experienced. The whole thing was even affecting her magic. Professor McGonagall had pulled her aside at the end of the latest transfiguration lesson; first to enquire as to how Hermione was doing, and second to tell her to get a handle on her social life if she ever wanted to pass her N.E.W.T's.

She just wanted everything to go back to normal.

Just then a commotion by the rear hall door caused several students to turn their head, and Hermione frowned wondering what they were all looking at, when familiar drum and guitar beat sprung into the hall, echoing around the expansive walls. Some students shook their shoulders in time to the music, though most others only frowned not recognising the muggle song, no matter how well known the band were in the non-magical world.

Hermione was confused as to why it was playing, right up until she heard the voice start singing.

"_Oh yeah I'll tell you something, I think you'll understand._" One too many drunken karaoke nights made the gritty voice that sung through the hall incredibly familiar, and Hermione cringed down into her seat in second hand embarrassment.

As the song continued, Ginny watched with wide eyes and gaping mouth as the platinum blond head of Draco Malfoy wound his way through the long benches to the Gryffindor table. She smirked as she watched Hermione, pink blush spreading across her cheeks as she slouched down into her chair, but she couldn't stop the smile from breaking out.

"_And when I touch you I feel happy inside. It's such a feeling, that my love, I get high. I get high. I get high!_"

Draco had a wide grin on his face as he sang, muggle microphone in hand, to Hermione, watching as she became seemingly more and more uncomfortable, yet she kept on smiling. Even as Professor Snape walked over and wrenched the microphone from his hand she kept on smiling. As he was led from the hall, to raucous cheering by his arm he shouted back, "See you later?" Staring imploringly into Hermione's eyes. She nodded.

~HD~

It was all the students could talk about for days. How Draco Malfoy had made a spectacle of himself. As Hermione stood at the side of the corridor she heard many different opinions on the matter. Some were annoyed by what he had done, disrupting the evening meal as he had. Others simply found him show-offish, and arrogant; but that was truly nothing new. It seemed a lot of the girls, mostly in the younger years found what he did romantic, singing to Hermione and ultimately professing his love in such a way. Hermione heard people complain that he could have picked a better song, or saved them all the horror of his singing and simply mimed. She got a few funny looks from students passing by her spot against the wall, but she didn't return any of them. She was stood looking for someone else, and when she saw the bright red flash of hair she reached into the crowd and pulled Ginny out of the throng.

"Jesus fucking Christ, kids everywhere!" Ginny exclaimed, the muggle curse rolling off her tongue after so long with Hermione. She shook her poker straight hair out, tucking it behind her ear to expose her piercing and star tattoo.

"Aye I know. Don't you think they're getting shorter?"

"Fucking right." Ginny sighed, running her hand through her hair before tugging at her spotted tights. "Anyway, what're you doing over here?"

"Free period. I should be studying but I need to talk to you."

Blue eyes widened, "About Draco I hope."

"Who the fuck else would I be talking about?"

Ginny held her hands up in defence against Hermione's ire. "Alright love, didn't mean anything by it. Fucks sake. Let's go to the bathroom, I could do with a spliff."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but fluffed at her curls, before running a hand down the soft loose skirt she wore and following Ginny into the crowds and through to the third floor. A second year Hufflepuff was stood by the mirrors, but ran out as Ginny snarled in her direction.

"You are much too mean to them you know?" Hermione scolded, pulling the joint from her cleavage.

"Says her who likes to hex them as they walk by."

She rolled her eyes, "Only the annoying ones."

They quickly lit the joint, passing it between them and opening the window as the smoke began to fog around them. Hermione coughed as she held her breath, it had been a while since she'd smoked and the heat was irritating at first.

"So come on," Ginny began, finally getting annoyed with her waist length tresses and clipping half of it back in a blue barrette. "What's happening with Draco? I'll be honest, if you don't take him back after that little performance yesterday _I_ will."

"You're with Blaise."

"Who the hell cares? Does he sing to me? Profess his undying love and all that shit? No he doesn't."

"Draco never _professed his undying love_. You're embellishing." She rolled her eyes, but smiled. She had to be honest, Draco's little show had certainly gotten to her.

"I might be, but you've got to give him a chance. Please?"

"Ginny I want to. I really truly do. Honestly I just want everything to go back to how it was before. I want it to be fun again, I don't want to worry about seeing him with other girls, or that he'll only do this to me again. I don't want to look at him and see _them_. Fuck," she exclaimed, running a hand through her hair. "It's so fucking stupid, but I see it all the time. Them in that corridor, how he was pawing all over her. It's just…I don't know. It was partially my fault-"

"No it wasn't!" Ginny interrupted, frowning from her spot on the windowsill. "He's the one who went and cheated on you 'Mione."

"Yeah but why did he do it? 'Cause he doesn't do commitment. Draco was one of the biggest man-whores in this school, then all of a sudden I want us to be exclusive, for us to come out and say 'yeah we're together', something he'd never done before. It scared him. And I know it wasn't my fault what happened, but I've got to accept my part in it."

Ginny simply frowned but didn't argue, she'd long ago learnt that when Hermione got something into her head there was little that could be said to dissuade her. They continued smoking the joint till it was gone, leaving the bathroom just as the next lesson was due to start. They parted ways and Hermione headed to potions, the one lesson she still sat next to Draco in. She wasn't sure what she was going to say to him, but she knew that she needed to say something.

Snape nodded to her as she hurried into his room, but said nothing of her being late. She slumped onto her stool, ignoring Draco's questioning look and focused on the lesson at hand. They would be working from their books, a study lesson of sorts, going over all the potions they had made; what they were for, what went into them and the exact method that they were to be made. Snape did not demand complete silence, and as he sat down behind his impressive desk small bursts of chatter broke out around the class.

Hermione opened her text book, focusing on the words before her as she started making notes on the _amortentia_ potion. She could almost feel Draco's steel grey eyes boring into the side of her head, but she refused to acknowledge him, not when she still had no idea what to say to him.

"So you're just going to ignore me?" He finally said, breaking the tense silence.

Hermione cut her hazel eyes to his, hating the pain she saw residing there. It was more than she could handle, but still she said nothing, breathing deep as she turned back to the parchment she was writing on.

"You won't even speak to me, that's just fucking great Hermione." His voice was almost a snarl, his annoyance as clear as day. "You know I fucking waited for you last night, stood up in the room for hours. But you didn't turn up, even though you said you would."

Hermione clenched her eyes tight. She had debated with herself for hours about going to the room, where she knew he would be after being let go by Snape. He'd asked if he'd see her later, and she'd nodded, being so sure that she would go to him. But being left in that hall, with everyone looking at her and then going up to the Gryffindor dorm, she just couldn't face him. What could she say?

"What happened to trying to be friends?" He hissed, as Snape began walking between the desks, making sure the students were doing as he asked them, and not simply chatting amongst themselves. "Where the hell did that go 'Mione?"

The nickname rolled so easily off his tongue and Hermione tore her eyes from the parchment before her, finally turning to look him dead in the eyes. She wasn't sure what she was going to say to him, wasn't sure what she _should_ say. But she knew she had to say something.

"I liked your song yesterday," she said. Watching as his eyes widened.

"Shit," running a hand through his thin hair she smiled softly. "Well thanks darling."

She smiled again at the sweet name. It was nice, hearing it fall from his lips. This was what she wanted, she wanted it to be easy. But she was finally realising that if she wanted things to get back to normal she would have to work at it. Hermione could no longer sit back and allow things to happen about her, she was going to have to start fighting for what she wanted.

"I've been really shit Draco. The thing is I don't want to just be your friend, I don't know if I can. You'll always be more than that to me, but I don't know if I can handle more yet." She shook her head, "I'm not making any sense, but do you understand?"

"I do. But you've got to know that you'll _never_ be just a friend to me, you never have."

Just then Professor Snape took a turn down their row of desks, so both Draco and Hermione turned back to the parchment before them and began making notes on the next potion in their battered copies of Advanced Potion Making. Snape passed on without comment, and the pair never dared to look up from their parchment, their desk staying awkwardly silent throughout the rest of the lesson. It was the last lesson in the day and Hermione was up like a shot as Snape dismissed the class, almost running from the room with her bag slung across her shoulder. But she didn't run fast enough, she never could. Before too long Draco caught up with her, snatching her quickly at the shoulder.

"What do you want?" She exclaimed, her eyes wild as she turned to face him.

He jumped back, not expecting her irritation, but met it quickly with anger of his own. He had spent so long pining after her, so long trying to work out how to make things up to her. He was constantly starting conversations only to have her ignore him, or answer half-heartedly, eventually he just gave up. He thought they'd made progress, he thought everything was going to start getting back to normal. He should have known better. So long he had held all his annoyances bottled up, not wanting to pressure her, or push her; but now, seeing her so fiery and dying for a fight he knew he could give it to her.

"I'll tell you what the fuck I want," he hissed back, the anger barely controlled. "I want you to give me a fucking chance, I want you to stop being such a stuck up bitch and get down off of the fuck high horse you rode in on. Get over yourself for Merlin's sake."

Hermione gasped, never hearing him speak to her in such a way and never expecting it from him. "What the fuck Draco?"

Their raised voices were attracting a crowd and as Draco went to retort she stormed off, racing up the stairs to her common room. Draco knew just where she was heading and raced to catch up with her, grabbing her hand, much to her protestation and dragging her down the familiar corridor and into the hidden room they knew so well. Once inside he flung her away from him, for the moment not caring if he hurt her, his anger was so great.

"I made a mistake, and I've done so much to make it up to you. But you just sit there all high and mighty like you've never done something stupid before in your life. Well fuck that, because I know you Hermione, I've been with you from the start and I know all the fucked up shit you've done."

Her eyes widened and she stopped attempting to open the large oak door. Apparently Draco had been sneaky when he'd thought up this place and apparently only he could open the bloody door.

"Oh don't even try to pull that with me Malfoy, I _never_ cheated on anyone before."

"Did you ever have a proper boyfriend before? As far as I knew you just shagged them then left."

Her mouth dropped open in shock. "You _know_ I never did that! Why would you say that? Why are you being such an insensitive prick?"

"Because frankly _Granger_," he sneered, "you're being an ungrateful little bitch, and I just want it to stop."

"Fuck you!" Her irritation had spiked, she wasn't sure how this became a full blown argument, or when the angry tears had began to cascade down her face, only that both those things had in fact happened. It was as she wiped her eyes that she realised how close Draco had gotten, and as she looked into his eyes she saw the pain hiding in the steel grey of his eyes. He didn't like this anymore than she did. But this was the most honest conversation they'd had in a long time; neither of them holding back or being scared of hurting the other person. It was how they always were. They joked, they insulted, but none of it was ever real before. Now she wasn't so sure.

Draco breathed deep, he leaned in to where Hermione stood against the wall, bracing his hands either side of her head. Dropping his own he attempted to control himself, he'd allowed himself to snap a trait his father often chastised him about, telling him that Malfoy's were never overly emotional. He looked up into her wet eyes, hating that he'd made her cry, but he couldn't deny that she was still beautiful. Her skin flushed in anger and her lips pursed.

"Hermione I just want you back. Only you, and I'll do everything you want to make everything okay, but I need you to try for us."

"And stop being an ungrateful bitch?" She attempted to laugh.

"Definitely that."

Together they smiled softly. His words had made her truly realise what she'd been doing. She'd been isolating herself, pushing him away without even noticing, and she needed to fix it. She reached up slowly, entangling her hands in his silky hair and scratching lightly at his scalp. His eyes were wary until they closed in contentment. It was only her touch he craved, the only thing he needed to feel complete.

Dropping his head he took a deep breath, preparing to say the words he had never dared to utter before.

"Hermione," he began, swallowing quickly. "I love you."

He heard her gasp, but he didn't dare look at her, too scared of her reaction to those words. Was it too much? When they'd just been shouting at each other? Was it the wrong time? Would it only scare her away? His mind spun in circles but in the end, his worrying had been for nothing as she continued caressing him.

"I love you too." Then she reached up, still moving to her tip-toes even in her heels to place a soft kiss against his mouth. The contentment washed over them both as their mouths moved together, and they knew eventually everything would be okay.

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_Let me know what you think please :)_

_So I know I said more light heartedness this chapter...and there was a little right? Well next chapter we'll get much more fun I promise :)._


	19. Had Me A Blast

**EPIC AN**

I'm so sorry it's taken so long, there are a number of reasons, the main one however being that I simply lost the juice for this story.

The last time I updated I was awaiting my year 2 results. I failed 3 out of my 4 modules, I spent that day crying mostly. I had to stop my pharmacy work placement in order to revise & then I went to Florida! Harry Potter World Universal is amazing. I had butterbeer and got a Bellatrix tee and a slytherin scarf :D. When I came back I started revising. I didn't write...not really. When I did I won the Twi Network Iron Pen with Keelhauled, which is now a complete multi chap. I did keep coming back to this however, and I had half of this chapter written in September...I then lost it until about 3 weeks ago.

There are only 2 chapters left of this story, which is why it's been so hard. I didn't know how to end this...now I do.

I really hope you enjoy this chapter, it's been a long time coming.

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Chapter 19

"If you flick it hard enough, it sticks," Neville murmured; he was baked.

Hermione giggled from her spot on the floor. How many times had they done this now? Stealing ear-wigs from Snape's supply only to fling them, muggle style, at the suits of armour, and seeing which moved first. Draco wasn't doing very well.

"And this is what you did while Blaise, Theo, and I were with girls?" Draco muttered, his teeth gripped his tongue, all concentration even with blood shot eyes.

"Well yeah, I mean I didn't have any girls to be with. And I don't know, it's fun. Right, Neville?"

"Hells yeah!" He exclaimed as he managed to get his ear wig to stick. They all waited in silence; the armour didn't move. "Bollocks."

Hermione laughed, long and low, as she spun on her back. A week ago she never imagined she would be doing this, but Draco was making an effort, as was she. They were talking more, sharing their lives some. It had all started as a game, and maybe that had been the problem. Now they were taking things seriously.

"Fuck!" He shouted, as yet again he missed the helmet completely. "I can't do this."

"Don't be such a baby," she cooed, stroking soft at his blond hair. He turned to smile down at her, grateful she was there. "You'll get it eventually." _We both will_, she thought.

They were laid in a circle, feet pointed out and heads together: Hermione, Ginny, Blaise, Luna, Neville, Pansy, Theo, and Draco; still trying to get through Hermione's stash, courtesy of Neville. She was beginning to think it would last a lifetime.

"How awesome would it be, to have wings?" Theo whispered into the dim light.

The room had gone beyond and above this time, conjuring up the ideal den, with coloured lights, a heavy fire, and bean bags everywhere. It reminded Hermione of Trelawney's room, it had that hippy vibe.

"Wings would be pretty fucking awesome, I've got to agree," Pansy muttered.

"Too true," Ginny croaked, blowing smoke rings above her before passing on the joint.

"I'm good without wings," Hermione chimed, shimmying slightly to get comfy in the many pillows they were laid on.

Draco smiled small, leaning over to whisper in her ear, "You don't need them."

Hermione giggled, all goofy and love-struck. It amazed him how he could do that to her. Turn her into something she just wasn't. He'd been treading on eggshells this past month, spending all his time with her, keeping his eyes very much away from other girls. It was exhausting.

But when he saw her smile like that, and when she fit her palm and fingers to his, he knew it was worth it.

There was a troll digging steadily at the right side of Hermione's brain. Her eyes were stinging, her neck ached, and she wasn't sure she'd ever see straight again. For hours she'd been sitting in the library attempting to make sense of her potions notes. Exams were creeping upon the seventh years and she was sure that if she didn't get this down today, she never would. But hours after she'd begun, the words were raising and swimming off of the page, and she'd read the same sentence five times. It was time to leave.

Leaving the book where she'd been sitting she smirked sadistically as she imagined the librarian's face when she saw a book not put back in its rightful place. She threw her bag over her shoulder and tugged quick at her purple shirt as she walked through the large oak doors of the library. The only thing Hermione wanted was to crawl into bed, shut her eyes and not wake up until the following evening. Unfortunately the Gryffindor quidditch team had won the latest match and so were throwing a party in the common room.

Just imagining the noise she was about to walk into, as she ascended the marble stair case, was enough to cause her headache to triple in size. There was no way she could do it. She wanted to go, she wanted to let loose and dance with Ginny, in all honesty she needed the break; but there was no way her head could deal with it, not even with all the potions in the world.

As she came to a cross roads in the staircases, she realised she didn't have to go to the common room. Opposite her was a stone staircase that would take her up to the Gryfindor tower, to her right was a corridor which would lead to the defence class rooms, but to her left, winding down was a staircase that would take her somewhere else. Somewhere cool, dark, and the complete opposite of the tower.

Hermione knocked hard and fast on the common room door, she wanted out of the corridor, somewhere she'd avoided religiously since that night she found Draco and the other girl. Thankfully Pansy opened the door to the Slytherin dungeon quickly and ushered Hermione in.

"What're you doing here?" Pansy asked, threading her earrings into her ears. Her hair was perfectly curled and she was wearing a terribly low cut top over jeans with incredibly high heels to boot.

"My head's killing me, I figured I'd just stay here tonight. I can't face the party."

Pansy laughed as she grabbed her handbag off of a nearby chair. "That's fair enough. Draco's in his room, I'll see you later."

Hermione waved her goodbye, and then ignoring the stares crossed the dark common room, knocked once at Draco's door and then entered, shutting it and cutting off the noise from the common room. Blaise and Theo were going to the party, so she knew they'd have the room to themselves and couldn't wait to get curled up on Draco's bed; it was so much comfier than her own.

Draco was sat at his desk, smiling at her, though his eyes were worried as they passed over her obviously tired frame. His blond hair was in complete disarray and Hermione wondered what had made him so anxious as to run his hands through it so much; she could see the finger tracks.

"Hey," she said, dumping her bag by the door and wandering over to sit on his lap.

"You look tired," he replied, before greeting her with a gentle kiss.

She laughed lightly. "Is that just a nice way of telling me I look like crap?"

Though he frowned he laughed, and Hermione could see something behind his eyes and was determined to get to the bottom of it. "Not at all, you look lovely, just stressed out."

She shrugged, looking down to the desk and the crumpled parchment that lay on its surface. "I've been in the library all day." Leaning across she picked up what was obviously a letter. "What's this?"

"From my mother," he replied, his face collapsing. Hermione frowned, tilting his chin so his eyes met hers.

"What's wrong?"

Sighing Draco ran the hand that wasn't resting on Hermione's hip over his face. He hated how the words from his mother had made him feel. His whole family knew they shouldn't feel so terrible about what was happening, it was no less than she deserved after all.

"The other day mum and dad were invited to Azkaban, to visit my aunt Bella."

Hermione frowned. "But she was a death eater; they're not allowed visitors, are they?"

"Not usually. But Bella doesn't have long left. After what happened, after Voldemort died, the small grip she had left on her sanity just…broke. She was in love with him, even though she was married to someone else, and when he left there was nothing else for her. She hasn't been eating for months, and has refused any treatment. She's hurting herself, and killing herself, and it's breaking my mum to pieces."

Hermione frowned; she didn't know what to say. Of course they'd all heard about the death eaters, about Voldemort and what he'd almost achieved. And she knew there were still people out there who believed in his ideals, Draco's dad for one. So while she hated that this had affected Draco and his family so much, a part of her couldn't help but feel that this was a good thing. She felt horrible for that.

Draco laughed, though the sound was empty and void of any joy; it broke Hermione's heart.

"I know you don't get it, _can't_ understand," he said, rubbing hard at his face and Hermione just knew he was holding back tears. "But she's my Aunt, and while I never even met her, I know she wasn't always like that. She wasn't always a murderer. She believed in really stupid, old fashioned ideas, but…"

"But she's still your mum's sister. I get it Draco, and I'm so sorry."

He nodded but said nothing else, even as Hermione climbed off of his lap and tugged him gently to standing. She removed his clothes, and then her own, and led him into bed where she cuddled into him tight.

"Is it okay," he said, "if we just…just this, just tonight."

Hermione nodded, and turned out the light. It was the first night they spent together where they weren't physically intimate. They just held each other, and fell asleep in each other's arms, and Hermione was sure she'd never felt closer to him.

The grounds were warming up, and Hermione was laid with Ginny and Luna, basking in the late spring sunshine. Swallows spun and twisted in the air above them, chirping and tweeting in their delight. Ginny was chomping on an apple, her fifth of the day; she'd now gone almost four weeks without a cigarette and apples were her chosen replacement.

Luna was playing with the muggle bubbles Hermione had gifted her with for her birthday the week previous, blowing them up and then magicking them not to pop. It was the laziest day Hermione had had in a long time, and she relished in it.

"Incoming," Ginny mumbled, nodding her head in the direction of the open entrance door, through which the boys were walking.

Hermione sighed, even through the smile on her face from seeing Draco, as she sat up. "Do you think we could hide?" She joked just as they reached the girls blanket.

Draco scowled playfully as he reached a hand down to pull Hermione up and into his arms. He smiled into her hazel eyes, grateful once more to have this beautiful girl all to himself.

"Come on," he said, waiting while Ginny rolled up the blanket before he began walking back towards the castle. Together they walked slow, talking about the mornings they had had and their plans for the evening. They were all having one day off from revising, just one day before they got back into it the next day.

Hermione wasn't looking where she was going; not really, she was far to focused on the shape of Draco's lips around the words he spoke to even consider that she might walk into anything. She felt Draco tugging her to the side, and turning in just enough time for a girl so roughly shove her shoulder into Hermione's side. It hurt and she was shocked. She stopped, turning back to see the girl simpering to her friends, a nasty smile on her face.

"Watch where you're going, freak," the girl called cattily. She flicked her long dark hair over one shoulder and Hermione's breath rushed from her as she recognised the pointed features and angry eyes.

Draco grabbed quick onto her hand as she stepped forward, her free hand reaching for her wand.

"Don't," he whispered. "She's not worth it."

Harshly Hermione ripped her hand from his hold, stepping back away from him. There was a devilish smile on her face, and a vengeful fire in her eyes that even Draco was afraid of. Even as he'd spoken he knew she would do whatever she wanted.

"She seemed worth it before though, didn't she?" Even as Hermione looked at him, she couldn't stop seeing the vision of him, wrapped within those dark haired girl's arms.

"But you're right." Her angry expression dropped into one of placid acceptance, and she once again took his hand, though she didn't put her wand away. "Let's just enjoy today, okay?"

Draco nodded, but was still wary, as he should have been. As they walked off, Hermione pointed the tip of her wand behind her, and muttering quickly under her breath sent a hex the other girl's way. She spent the rest of the week in the hospital wing, irremovable boils erupting from her skin. Hermione denied doing it most fervently, though everyone knew that she had.

Hermione ran one tired hand over her face, sweeping her hair from her forehead and back into the pin it was escaping from. From her left Draco laughed and leaned over to wipe at the black ink she had smeared all across her head.

"You'll do great," he said as he stood. After offering his hand to her and pulling her to stand, they walked slowly from the library and towards the great hall.

"I hope so," Hermione said. She was trying to be positive about her last exam, arithmancy. She had been studying for hours every day, and in truth she was both parts nervous and excited to do the exam and to get it over with.

"Just think," Draco muttered as they joined the small crowd of seventh years waiting to enter the great hall, "after this there's only two weeks left."

"I can't wait."

Hermione smiled big, even as figures ran on a constant loop through her mind. Draco said nothing more, her eyes were unfocused and he knew there would be no sense to get out of her until this exam was done and dusted.

Just then the impressive hall doors opened and the dark robe clad students began making their way inside, finding their desks to take their last ever exam in Hogwarts. Hermione's heart rate kicked up as she spun in Draco's arms. She embraced him tightly, stealing a kiss for luck before leaning back.

"Nearly done," she whispered, and then turned at joined her fellow students.

"Nearly done," Draco concurred silently as he walked away, a small smile on his face.

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_Let me know what you think please._

Also I'm writing a new HP fic about the Black sisters, mostly Bellatrix. So look out for that :)


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